"Could you tell me the next time that you're choking?" Saves the Day's Chris Conley sang on "My Sweet Fracture" from 1999's Through Being Cool. "'Cause I'll rush right over to shove some dirt right down your throat." It has been the better part of a decade and the boys in Saves the Day still rip through breakneck pop-punk with youthful levels of abandon, but Conley's ire may have finally caught up to him. "Can't Stay the Same," from the band's new album, Under the Boards, voices his misgivings and repentance replaces acidic slurs.

There is a certain wisdom present in shouldering blame instead of casting it off, and when Conley sings lines like "I wish I said I'm sorry sweetheart I can't be/The man I lead you to believe that I would be," he sounds not only solemn, but grown. Curious then that he maintains the same exuberant, nasally tone that brings nuance to quick sputtered words, his sing-a-long melodies ripe for audience participation in the live realm. The band, too, sharpens their proven strengths, albeit in a slowed form, as a punchy rhythm section and distorted guitars rumble tight patterns steadily, allowing Conley's words to ring clear.

The second chapter in a three-part series after last year's restless Sound the Alarm, Under the Boards is a record of "reflection and remorse" according to Conley. But on "Can't Stay the Same," with a hook like "Hey, hey, everything's okay / I love you more than I can say," he might just get forgiven. Under the Boards rears its head in stores on Oct. 30 from Vagrant. 

Now Hear This:
Saves the Day - "Can’t Stay the Same" DOWNLOAD MP3

On the Web:
Saves the Day at MySpace
savestheday.com

Talk: After a decade as a band has Saves the Day stayed the "same"?