Providence, RI | The Wonder Years “came out swinging” in Providence on the second stop of their fall tour with Have Mercy, Oso Oso, and Shortly. A band known for bringing a high level of energy and emotion to every performance was equally met by a packed house Friday night. The band opened with the title track off their latest record, “Sister Cities” which was released on Hopeless Records on April 6 of this year. This is the band’s sixth full length studio album which adds to a career containing records that range in styles described as pop-punk to indie post hardcore rock.
Lead vocalist Dan “Soupy” Campbell’s excitement to play new tracks off of the record was shown when he first addressed the crowd. “If you don’t know we’re a band called The Wonder Years. And if you don’t know, we put out an album earlier this year called Sister Cities. I’m so fucking proud of that album. This song is on it. It’s called ‘Raining in Kyoto.’”
Throughout The Wonder Year’s discography, Campbell’s lyrics have always been about human stories filled with heartache, passion, personal growth, and atonement. The ability of The Wonder Years to create songs which elucidate these themes is a big reason for their sustained success. This was especially true for fan Patryk Ilinski from Boston who excitedly awaited the performance of one of his favorite bands. The Wonder Years’ full length albums Suburbia I’ve given you all and now I’m Nothing, The Greatest Generation, and No Closer to Heaven were what got him through his college years, sharing, “They talk about their friend being hospitalized and my friend was also hospitalized at the time. They gave me songs to relate to.”
The Wonder Years performance included tracks from five of their six albums, with the majority stemming from their latest release and classic hits. Before the tour kicked off, they challenged their fans to create their dream set list and submit them with the hashtag #twyperfectsetnorthamerica.
The Wonder Years’ latest release Sister Cities and their other five studio albums are available for purchase on vinyl. Use TVD’s free GPS-supported record store finder app to support The Wonder Years and your local record store!
