Artist Four Year Strong

New Englanders Four Year Strong might not do much to heal the generation gap between hardcore kids of old and Warped Tour youngsters, but the band does show an ear for both ends of the spectrum and the pop-punk and metalcore territory in between. Not that FYS is tight-assed about what a punk band should do: The band’s second album, 2009’s Explains It All, consisted of covers including Alanis Morissette’s “Ironic” and Third Eye Blind’s “Semi Charmed Life.” The 2010 set of originals, Enemy Of The World, buffs together slick hooks and a bratty sense of humor, featuring a wonderfully ridiculous album cover (band members as mutant-heroes conquering a skull- and shark-ridden mountain) and chunky outbursts like, “What The Hell Is A Gigawatt.” A new album, In Some Way, Shape, Or Form, is due this November.

Updated 10/13/2011