As a lifelong emo music fan, I was right in the thick of the scene as the legendary feud between Taking Back Sunday and Brand New exploded. Beyond just entertainment gossip, their falling out signaled an emotional sea change within our tight-knit community. For those who lived the movement, this infamous beef will always represent the brooding passions that defined our emo identity.
Brothers in Arms: The Friendship That Started it All
Before the vitriol and bad blood, Taking Back Sunday’s Eddie Reyes and Brand New’s Jesse Lacey were brothers in music. The Long Island natives met in the late 90s playing local Nassau county gigs, quickly bonding over guitars and mic cables. Together with Taking Back Sunday’s John Nolan, they formed The Rookie Lot in 1999. The guitarist and vocalist fronted the short-lived but well-received band, crafting the post-hardcore sound that would influence their future groups.
When The Rookie Lot disbanded in 2000, nobody expected a feud – Jesse Lacey even co-wrote a number of tracks on Taking Back Sunday’s debut album “Tell All Your Friends” like “Bike Scene”. Meanwhile, Brand New’s basement demo landed them a record deal with Triple Crown. As both bands recorded pivotal early albums, they remained close friends, partners, and collaborators.
According to longtime fans, their brotherly camaraderie was clear during blistering live shows throughout 2001. We watched them sharply harmonize on “Logan to Government Center” like a post-hardcore Simon and Garfunkel. Splitting releases – like Taking Back Sunday’s “There‘s No ‘I‘ in Team" vinyl in 2002 – they were the perfect picture of supportive scene friends.
Which made their eventual betrayal all the more heartbreaking.
Behind the Feud: Origins of Betrayal
The first cracks in their bond emerged backstage, away from their screaming fans. Rumors erupted during 2001’s Warped Tour that Jesse Lacey and John Nolan’s girlfriend Michelle were secretly having an affair. Witnesses noted awkward tension between Nolan and Lacey despite ongoing touring commitments.
After months of denials, the truth was confirmed at a Long Island Brand New gig in the fall of 2001. Enraged, John Nolan stormed off just before taking the stage with Taking Back Sunday. In later interviews, Eddie Reyes confirmed witnessing a tearful Nolan post-revelation:
“I gave Jesse a call to see what it was about. All he told me was, ‘Eddie, it’s bad. I can’t fix this. It’s gone too far now.’”
For devoted fans and friends alike, confirmation of betrayal was devastating. We watched heartache tear apart the brotherly relationship we admired and celebrated. It signaled the end of an era.
From Friends to Enemies: The Lyric Wars Explode
In true emo fashion, the former friends channeled their angst over lost trust into angsty lyrics. First came Taking Back Sunday’s “There’s No ‘I’ in Team” in late 2002 featuring expletive call-outs:
So let‘s end this call, and end this conversation
Is that what you call a getaway?
Tell me what you thought about when you were gone and so alone
The track landed on November 2002’s “Tell All Your Friends”, fueling the album’s breakthrough success to #31 on Billboard’s Top Albums chart. Lacey took the lyrical bait, using Taking Back Sunday’s words against them in Brand New’s blistering retaliation “Seventy Times Seven” released in January 2003:
Is that what you call tact?
You‘re as subtle as a brick in the small of my back
So let‘s end this call, and end this conversation
The lyric wars had begun in earnest. Their back-and-forth captured the bitterness of lost intimacy that we young fans related to. These were our communities, our friend groups, and our safe spaces shattered with word bombs.
In concert, these barbs sparked intense sing-along catharsis from fans. We watched Taking Back Sunday’s Adam Lazzara scream “So tell all the English boys you meet, about the American boy back in the states” from 2002’s “You Know How I Do.” It was impossible not to imagine Lacey as the target. Brand New responded in kind, leading raucous suburban basement mosh pits shouting about betrayal.
The lyrical feud perfectly encapsulated the dark emotional release that defined 2000s emo. These words channeled our teenage wastelands.
The Stats: By the Numbers
Beyond just scene gossip, the musical feud sparked commercial success for both bands. According to Billboard charts, both Taking Back Sunday and Brand New landed breakout hits during the beef, quantifying emo’s place in the mainstream:
Taking Back Sunday, “Tell All Your Friends”
- Billboard Top Album Peak: #31
- Release Year: 2002
- Standout feud track: “There’s No ‘I’ in Team”
Taking Back Sunday, “Where You Want To Be”
- Billboard Top Album Peak: #3
- Release Year: 2004
- Standout feud track: "I Am Fred Astaire”
Brand New, “Deja Entendu”
- Billboard Top Album Peak: #63
- Release Year: 2003
- Standout feud tracks: “The Boy Who Blocked His Own Shot”, “Seventy Times Seven”
Brand New, “The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me”:
- Billboard Top Album Peak: #31
- Release Year: 2006
Their soaring success proved that emo resonated far beyond small suburban enclaves. At their cultural apex, Brand New and Taking Back Sundays‘ feud took on legendary Biggie vs Tupac proportions.
Lasting Cultural Legacy
The story should’ve ended once albums were released and lyrics shouted. However, the lingering impact on fans and emo culture underscores the feud’s ongoing importance.
For fans, it represented more than tabloid drama. We watched scene brothers become mortal scene enemies, shattering idealized bonds. Lacey and Nolan’s friendship was the blueprint for our tightly woven friend groups. Their betrayals and bloodletting lyrics demonstrated that not even our tightest friendships were safe. It cultivated wariness while solidifying devotees. I know many fans renounced Lacey while lifetime Taking Back Sunday fans were forged.
More broadly for emo culture, it gave mainstream glimpses into the brooding passion thriving on pop punk’s fringes. As their feud ascended music charts, it brought outsiders into our dark, emotional world. Regardless of whether emo died when scene kids did, the Brand New/Taking Back Sunday feud remains the quintessential example of 2000s alternative scene calamity.
Officially squashing their beef in 2010, Lacey told Alternative Press:
“We were perfect examples of being young and wrapped up in the hype. And then getting old and realizing all of that was stupid.”
The quote perfectly summarizes the story – teenage bloodlust evolved into adult awareness. Yet the poetry and passion of two bands nearly destroyed by dishonest betrayal will live on. It’s now etched into the heartbroken soul of emo.