by Jessica Perry

Who are these guys?

If your favorite band is active in the modern pop-punk, emo, or hardcore scene, Saves the Day is probably among their favorite bands. If you’ve been to a local show in the past 10 years, you’ve probably heard at least one “You Vandal” cover. Saves the Day gets cited a lot as an influencer. Fall Out Boy started as a Saves the Day cover band; The Wonder Years have frequently credited Saves the Day as an inspiration. Max Bemis is a vocal and unapologetic Saves the Day fan-turned-friend. Their cross-genre and cross-generational influence cannot be overstated, but their continued evolution and relevance often falls to the wayside.

From a biographical standpoint, Saves the Day was born in Princeton, New Jersey. Previously named Sefler, the band adopted the Saves the Day moniker in 1998; at the time, all of the original members were still attending high school. A lot has happened in the past 18 years that will be alluded to below – numerous lineup changes, commercial success, sonic exploration, punk/hardcore ostracization, a modest rebound. Being Saves the Day – and being a Saves the Day fan – can be admittedly rocky. I could (and plan to) write a book about the ups and downs, but it’s critical to at least briefly note the tumultuous nature of their legacy – it characterizes their history, contextualizes their discography and is a defining element of the die-hard fan experience. And it is certainly a point of awareness and inspiration for Chris Conley, the band’s lead singer, songwriter, lyricist and only remaining original member.

Where to start?

The natural and most common response to that question is 1999’s Through Being Cool, and I can’t argue with that. Widely considered the band’s breakout record, it’s easily their most celebrated in modern alternative music circles. The album is The One – the one that changed the lives of those it touched (including mine); the one that pioneered a genre of hooky, emotional aggression paired with brutally vivid imagery; the one that made many people want to pick up guitars and write songs for the first time. Through Being Cool is some of Saves’ most relatable material, laden with themes of love, distance and heartbreak, traversing America in the name of all of them. It’s easy and accessible, able to simultaneously transport you backwards and increase your real-time emotional awareness. Between the first life-affirming riffs of “All-Star Me” and the final strums of “Banned From the Back Porch,” Through Being Cool contains some of its generation’s most pivotal anthems. If you’re younger and just beginning your back-cataloging journey: this is for you. If you’re older and looking for something to help untangle your heartstrings: this is for you, too.



Recommended Tracks: For me, at least, Through Being Cool is divided into two distinct parts. Tracks 1-5 are the summer anthems you blare out your car window and wail with life-dependent urgency among friends. Of these, “You Vandal” and “Holly Hox, Forget Me Nots” are the standouts. (“Shoulder to the Wheel,” the album’s single, does not truly showcase the band or album’s essence.) The back half of this record, though, is the stronger half, and it’s what really sets Through Being Cool apart from other pop-punk records. It’s rife with heart-wringing pleas and desperation. Conley’s soaring vocals, his use of metaphor and his repeated references to the color orange have become synonymous with autumn in New Jersey. “My Sweet Fracture” and “The Last Lie I Told” are the hardest hitters.

However, if you’re looking for a less obvious choice, I’d like to nudge you in the direction of 2011’s Daybreak. The final installment of a trilogy [along with 2006’s Sound the Alarm and 2007’s Under the Boards], Daybreak is a far cry from the youthful aggression that Saves perfected in their earlier material. Musically, it’s diverse – not just from Saves’ other material, but internally. Its ten-minute opener, the title track, weaves among four distinct-but-cohesive parts; the album continues with poppy anthems like “Deranged and Desperate” and heads into near-flamenco territory with “Chameleon.” Lyrically, it’s a little more hopeful, reflective and self-aware, less about blaming others and more about accepting responsibility for oneself. It’s about perspective and accountability, and placing yourself and your actions in the context of your own problems and relationships. For me, it really opened my eyes as I graduated college and realized how quickly I had to grow up, how that responsibility was solely mine.

Recommended Tracks: “Daybreak,” “Z,” “O,” “Undress Me”

As for the full timeline

On the whole, Saves the Day’s discography is deeply rooted in their history, in Conley’s personal narrative. The parallels between Saves’ records and their personnel changes and commercial maneuvers are undeniable, and their openness to discussing these parallels is pretty unique in a scene flooded with press releases and artist’s statements. That the band’s ups and downs are no secret to their fans only intensifies fans’ investment, and deepens the chasm between those who stayed and those who left. Their discography is easily categorized into eras. Since we’re only dealing with proper Saves the Day here, I’ll just quickly note that Sefler released a 7” called 13 Hours of Everything and a demo tape. Saves the Day has a demo tape, too, that will be discussed briefly.

1998-2002 “The Golden Years”

Can’t Slow Down (1998, Equal Vision): The band’s Equal Vision Records debut cemented their place in the hardcore scene, setting them up for tours with Bane, Kill Your Idols, H2O and others of that ilk. It’s a “melodic hardcore” (whatever that means these days) album that is often compared to – and accused of ripping off – Lifetime’s Jersey’s Best Dancers. It’s one of my personal favorite albums of all time, and the lyrics read more like poetry than they do songs.

Recommended Tracks: “Deciding,” “Blindfolded,” and “Seeing It This Way” are my favorites. The album’s closer, “Jodie,” is a fan favorite that got shouted for at shows for years a la “Seventy Times 7.”

I’m Sorry, I’m Leaving (1999, Immigrant Sun): A five song acoustic EP that sounds like falling in love on a rainy summer night. That sounds corny, yes, but it’s the perfect soundtrack for pining alone in your bedroom or taking a drive down Princeton Pike with your friends. The bare-bones production quality makes it some of the most honest, vulnerable material Saves has. The vinyl release is a hot ticket item on eBay and includes a song not included on the CD version, “The Way His Collar Falls.”

Recommend Tracks: The definite fan favorite is “Jessie and My Whetstone,” thought I would argue that “I’m Sorry, I’m Leaving” and “Hold” are the two that really make my heart ache.

Through Being Cool (1999, Equal Vision): See above, and then listen to it forever.



Stay What You Are (2001, Vagrant): The band’s Vagrant Records debut is the one that shot Saves the Day onto MTV, with two singles, “At Your Funeral” and “Freakish,” garnering airplay. It entered them into the late night talk show circuit, and became a highly discussed album in mainstream and major label circles. At this time, they were touring predominantly with bands aligned with “emo” – Dashboard Confessional, Hey Mercedes, Piebald. Most fans I talk to began with Stay What You Are, backtracked, and then continued onward from there. It’s an important record to a whole lot of people. It lacks the same bite as the earlier material – cleaner vocals, more melodic – but it’s essential.

Recommended Tracks: “See You,” “Jukebox Breakdown,” “I’ll I’m Losing Is Me.” If you listen to nothing else on this record, listen to “This Is Not an Exit.”

2003-2006 The Fallout

In Reverie (2003, Dreamworks): Stay What You Are catapulted Saves to the mainstream, landing the emo darlings a deal with Dreamworks. In Reverie was released in 2003 to tepid fan response and little commercial success (though it remains their best-charting album). Weeks after its release, Dreamworks was absorbed by Interscope, and Saves the Day was dropped shortly thereafter. This series of events – poor reception, lack of commercial footing and a classic major label tale – would set the scene for the band’s career going forward. It took three years for Saves the Day to release material after In Reverie; the recovery period is still ongoing. Some fans consider this record a masterpiece; others, many of whom have written the band off entirely, still scoff at its very existence. Don’t forget that there are human beings behind the songs you love (and don’t love), folks. Sonically, everyone screams “Beatles” – it’s definitely a little more hazy and poppy, but definitely worth your while. The album had one single, “Anywhere With You.”

Recommended Tracks: “Rise,” “Wednesday the Third,” “Tomorrow Too Late.” If you take a particular interest, I’d dig around for the b-sides from this record, “Blossom” and “Don’t Go Outside.” They’re both fantastic.

Ups and Downs (2004, Vagrant): Early recordings and b-sides, as the subtitle says. This contains remastered versions of the original Saves the Day demo tape, the I’m Sorry, I’m Leaving EP, and b-sides from various compilations. It contains a few of my forever favorites, including…

Recommended Tracks: “Ups and Downs,” “Sell My Old Clothes, I’m Off to Heaven,” “The Art of Misplacing Firearms,” “When It Isn’t Like It Should Be”

2006-2012 The Trilogy

After the band’s shunning following In Reverie and the first of what would become several lineup changes, Conley focused on a trilogy of records that would explore the emotional states which followed. The documentary Finding Daybreak is a beautiful, detailed account of this era.

Sound the Alarm (2006, Vagrant): With Saves back on Vagrant, Sound the Alarm was a return to pre-In Reverie form. Thematically, it represents the beginning stage of the post-In Reverie emotional process: acknowledgment. It contains some of the grittiest and sludgiest material Saves has released. The lyrics are cutting and sometimes uncomfortable to listen to, and the vocals are laced with snarl. That said, the album wasn’t polarizing – Sound the Alarm seems like an unlikely favorite on the surface, but anyone you talk to who loves Saves the Day will vouch for this record being a kick in the ass.

Recommended Tracks: “Shattered,” “Say You’ll Never Leave,” “Bones,” “Sound the Alarm”

Under the Boards (2007, Vagrant): Under the Boards is about “reflection and remorse.” The trilogy gets to its darkest, most agonizing point here. The sonic and lyrical discomfort complement one another; you can almost feel the suffocation in your chest when you listen to some of these songs. While there are some poppy numbers, like “Radio” and “Can’t Stay the Same,” songs like “Under the Boards” and “Turning Over in My Tomb” stand on your chest with an almost unmanageable weight and desperation. I’d say it’s the band’s “weirdest” record, and probably the least talked about. However, if you ever get the opportunity to see “Kaleidoscope” live, it will be one of the most mesmerizing moments of your life.

Recommended Tracks: “Stay,” “Getaway,” “Kaleidoscope”

Daybreak (2011, Razor & Tie): I spoke about Daybreak above. It’s an album about accepting your demons. Sonically, it’s a breath of fresh air from the discordance of its predecessors. It ties up a lot of the loose ends left behind from Sound the Alarm and Under the Boards, so if you really feel like getting deep into it, listen for the little sonic nods and lyrical references to earlier material. It’s a fun puzzle!



2013-Present Renewal/Rebirth

Saves the Day (2013, Rory): Released on Max Bemis’ label Rory Records (an Equal Vision imprint), it was only appropriate that Saves’ first post-trilogy record be self-titled. Without the restraint of concept, Saves the Day feels free in sound and in spirit – there are still notes of self-doubt and reflection, but they’re leavened by the relief that the band sought in the trilogy. The new material has been generally well-received by fans and lapsed fans alike, proving both the necessity of the trilogy and the necessity of the band’s liberation from it. Saves the Day is the new lease on life they deserve.

Recommended Tracks: “In the In Between,” “Ain’t No Kind of Love,” “Lucky Number”

Saves the Day’s history and evolution makes giving a linear series of recommendations and starting points nearly impossible. Moreover, with such an involved history and ingrained fanbase, finding where to begin and where you fit in can seem overwhelming. But Saves the Day is home for a lot of people, and as long as there are records to fall in love with, there will always be room to include the people that fall in love with them. I fully believe that their ability to change people’s lives and heighten their emotional sensibilities will last forever.

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