Artist: The Front Bottoms
Album: Rose EP
Genre: Indie punk
Label: Bar/None Records

The Front Bottoms aren’t really bringing anything new to the table, but that doesn’t keep this record from kicking my ass. I mean, there’s been a lot of guitar-drum two-pieces, yeah, so what’s the big deal with these guys? How do you explain the rapidly growing fan base? How the hell did they open for Brand New? My friend has a diagram explaining why TFB are a ‘good band’ and deserving of all the praise and accolades they’ve been given since their self-titled found the internet (it’s on the back of his “how to check your AP test grades” paper). So it’s safe to say that most fans of The Front Bottoms absolutely adore them and will defend them to the death. Why?

The Front Bottoms have been pretty quiet about their latest studio effort, which of course came with some speculation within the scene and on the internet about what these could mean. As that last tweet reveals, Rose is the title of TFB’s latest effort. With five out of the six songs being re-recorded and re-released, the question surrounding the mostly indie, very dance-y, sort of punk two-piece and their Rose EP is one of improvement. Are these re-dos any better than their older counterparts? The answer is a resounding yes.

The older versions of each of these tracks reveal themselves to sound like a weird, confused, verging-on-lo-fi attempt at indie punk that, in one way or another, still contain the inherent charm that manifests itself in each of The Front Bottoms’ short ballads. “Flying Model Rockets” sounds, quite simply, like guitarist/vocalist Brian Sella slept a lot more the night before and isn’t hopped up on multiple drugs. It’s quicker, wittier, and sonically more similar to Talon of the Hawk. Is there any more “aww”-inducing lyric than “There’s nothing in California that you could not learn to hate here”?

There’s a formula to The Front Bottoms’ magic, and while it’s a simplistic one, it’s never been disproven. With that, the redone “Lipstick Covered Magnet” might just be the most Front Bottoms-esque song to date. From the infectious opening lyric (“Love how you disagree to tell me that I’m wrong”) and that beautiful chorus, “Lipstick Covered Magnet” has all the elements of The Front Bottoms in a neat, condensed package that feels calculated and deliberate but still just as fun and engaging. Have I mentioned Sella’s much peppier this time around? While I Hate My Friends isn’t a bad album, it seems like Sella and drummer Matt Uychich are much, much happier to be where they are, which is no surprise considering they are now playing this year’s Riot Fest.

This time around, it’s a lot easier to sing along to “I’m gonna get on my knees / would you kick me in the face, please / it’ll make whatever I say sound like poetry” on “Lipstick Covered Magnet.” Even the normally uncomfortable lyricism shown in lines such as “We’re so drunk / we are so cool / we are so punk” on “12 Feet Deep” come off as slightly more endearing, in that signature Front Bottoms way. Maybe it can be excused, 2008 was a long time ago.

“Awkward Conversations” is the only track that’s never seen the light of day in the form of a release. While being a more acoustic-based number, the track is just as contagious as its predecessors and even more charismatic to a degree. “I personally think it’s too cold to keep the windows open / but you want to smoke your menthol cigarettes” immediately latches onto the brain and holds on for life, further proving that if The Front Bottoms are good at anything, it’s writing a damn catchy hook.

With Rose, The Front Bottoms don’t change anything up in favor of saving the experimentation for later. Keeping to their established formula, The Front Bottoms have put out yet another classically TFB release while backpedaling a bit into older territory (which is all the more welcome, considering these tracks seem to be the majority from this post). Maybe next we’ll see a Brand New cover.

SCORE: 8.5/10
Review written by Mark Garza – (@markgnarza)

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