Normally, when a band reaches its tenth anniversary, they eschew guitars and attitude for keyboards and love songs - not so with Massachusetts band, Four Year Strong, who have opted to drop synths from a great height in order to crank up the amps instead. Fair play, we say. The band recently lost keyboardist Josh Lyford after five years and decided to continue as a quartet, thus turning the page for another chapter.

In the UK, Four Year Strong are a relatively unknown quantity, yet obviously have enough fans to pack out venues over here - they supported Good Charlotte during the recent Kerrang!Relentless Tour in February, during which most nights sold out, as well as performing their own headlining shows last year. The band have released a clutch of albums during the past eight years or so, including the Billboard-bothering 2010 set, "Enemy of the World".

In November, they will follow up the success of that last album with another, the first since Lyford's departure. Called "In Some Way Shape Or Form", it features a tighter, slightly tougher sound as revealed on the recent downloads, "Stuck in the Middle" and "Just Drive". You can check out the latter via the "Four Year Strong - Just Drive" link in the sidebar, on the right.

A new album brings tour dates, which is precisely what Four Year Strong will be doing with themselves in the new year. First stop is Brighton on 25th January, followed by Birmingham, Leeds, Glasgow, Manchester, Portsmouth and finally London at the KOKO on 1st Feb. Tickets will go on sale from Friday at 9am, priced at £12.50 (yep, that even includes London!).