Taking Back Sunday sets two December shows at Mulcahy's; New album drops in October

It seems Taking Back Sunday has established a regular homebase at Mulcahy’s Pub & Concert Hall in Wantagh — Long Island’s own emo band will return to the venue for its third annual series of holiday shows on Dec. 13 and 14.

“They take such good care of us at Mulcahy’s and it’s always a fun time. All our friends and family come. Even the staff is great to hang out with,” says bassist Shaun Cooper, who grew up in Baldwin and currently lives in Long Beach. “Plus, it’s 20 minutes from my house so I can do the shows and sleep in my own bed. We are always happy to play there.”

Cooper came to Mulcahy’s with his bandmate, drummer Mark O’Connell, also from Long Beach, in the fall of 2020 when Sen. Chuck Schumer held his “Save Our Stages” news conference during the pandemic.

“We showed them the newly renovated room and Mark said they would be back one day, eventually we got a call and the rest is history,” says talent buyer-production manager Rick Cappiello. “We look forward to Taking Back Sunday’s Annual Holiday Spectacular all year long. It truly has become a celebration at Mul’s now.”

This year the band has a lot to celebrate — the group will drop a new album, “152,” on Oct. 27. This will be its eighth studio recording and first in seven years.

“The pandemic held us up for about two years. We were starting to write at the beginning of 2020 then everything shut down. It was a year and change before we met up again,” says Cooper, 42. “We didn’t want it to take this long but the record will be worth the wait.”

The band worked with a new producer, Tushar Apte, who has had success with Demi Lovato, Chris Brown and Nicki Minaj. They met him while working on "Just Us Two," the 2022 single collaboration with DJ Steve Aoki.

“Tushar comes from the pop world and he wanted to work with a rock band. We kind of blended those worlds on this album, which made for some cool musicality,” says Cooper. “The new album is a bit more mature lyrically. The songs are more hopeful than they were in the past. As you grow and mature, you become a lot less angry and more understanding of the world around you. Tushar picked up on that vibe and added an air of lightness with his arrangements.”

Taking Back Sunday’s new album has several Long Island ties. The band partially recorded it at VuDu Studios in Port Jefferson, filmed their video, “The One,” in Miller Place and shot the album cover on Long Island Sound.

“We love Long Island,” says Cooper. “The fans are always off the hook, screaming at the top of their lungs and dancing. It’s a pretty special thing.”

Tickets ($45) for the 18-and-older shows at Mulcahy’s go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. via muls.com.

By David J. Criblez

david.criblez@newsday.comDavidJCriblez

David J. Criblez is a reporter for Newsday's exploreLI, covering entertainment-related events from local music to stand-up comedy to festivals.