New Jersey's Resident Indie Band Make Major Label Debut
To many fans, The Front Bottoms have always been a charming, simple and quirky indie/emo duo, a lot of their songs are praised for their repeatable lyrics and their ability to write such well-loved songs whilst sticking to a low-budget production and minimal musical quality. The Front Bottoms have always stuck to this which has left some fans happy that they've stayed true to their ways, but some fans wanting to hear more.
'Back On Top' sees The Front Bottoms major label debut, something that has got many fans worried, a lot of fans hoping that they wouldn't change from their depressing yet witty lyrics, simple yet effective instrumentals and simply produced music that's been the staple of their charming sound. Even though there are tracks on here that do seem to overproduced, 'HELP' shows a side of The Front Bottoms that a lot of fans, including me, don't want to hear again. Sella's voice sounds glitchy and the rather bland lyrics are repeated over and over for most of the track, making 'HELP' without a doubt the weakest track on the album. Sella does seem to fall flat on a few tracks on this album, whether it's production letting him down (HELP) or just generally boring, 'Laugh till I Cry' has a catchy enough chorus but is let down by the boring and forgettable verses.
Negatives aside, The Front Bottoms have managed to once again pull me in and engage me in such a charming and relate-able way. I'm totally stumped on which track is my favorite between 'Summer Shandy' a very weezer-like track with the fun, repeated lyrics and happy mid-tempo charm. Or 'West Virginia' a very melancholic and angsty track delivered in true front bottoms style with the simple yet effective guitars and sing-a-long friendly lyrics.
Even though this record does seem to fall short with the lame lyrics and slight over-production, The Front Bottoms still manage to connect with their audience in a way that very few bands in the genre seem to be able to do. And the duo still manage to come across as the small band that we fell in love with back in the day no matter what label they happen to be under.
6/10
INDIE ROCK / EMO / FOLK PUNK / POP PUNK
FAV TRACKS: West Virginia - Summer Shandy
LEAST FAV TRACKS: HELP
'Back On Top' sees The Front Bottoms major label debut, something that has got many fans worried, a lot of fans hoping that they wouldn't change from their depressing yet witty lyrics, simple yet effective instrumentals and simply produced music that's been the staple of their charming sound. Even though there are tracks on here that do seem to overproduced, 'HELP' shows a side of The Front Bottoms that a lot of fans, including me, don't want to hear again. Sella's voice sounds glitchy and the rather bland lyrics are repeated over and over for most of the track, making 'HELP' without a doubt the weakest track on the album. Sella does seem to fall flat on a few tracks on this album, whether it's production letting him down (HELP) or just generally boring, 'Laugh till I Cry' has a catchy enough chorus but is let down by the boring and forgettable verses.
Negatives aside, The Front Bottoms have managed to once again pull me in and engage me in such a charming and relate-able way. I'm totally stumped on which track is my favorite between 'Summer Shandy' a very weezer-like track with the fun, repeated lyrics and happy mid-tempo charm. Or 'West Virginia' a very melancholic and angsty track delivered in true front bottoms style with the simple yet effective guitars and sing-a-long friendly lyrics.
Even though this record does seem to fall short with the lame lyrics and slight over-production, The Front Bottoms still manage to connect with their audience in a way that very few bands in the genre seem to be able to do. And the duo still manage to come across as the small band that we fell in love with back in the day no matter what label they happen to be under.
6/10
INDIE ROCK / EMO / FOLK PUNK / POP PUNK
FAV TRACKS: West Virginia - Summer Shandy
LEAST FAV TRACKS: HELP
No comments:
Post a Comment