When I opened the stream for the new Front Bottoms EP, ‘Rose,’ I expected the handful of songs to sound a lot like the band’s last release, Talon of Hawk. The album came out at a time when the band’s popularity was significantly growing, and was largely influential in skyrocketing Brian Sella and Matthew Uychich into pop punk stardom. It’s typical to hear bands take this success and run with it, but The Front Bottoms took a different approach with Rose. The six track EP named after Uychich’s grandmother features concert favorites that the duo never properly released.
Rose starts out with “Flying Model Rockets,” a track that would fit seamlessly off the band’s 2011 self-titled. Like some of the infamous tracks off that album (i.e. “Mountain,” “Flashlight”), Sella whines about high school hijinks and being young in a small town. “12 Feet Deep,” “Awkward Conversations,” and “Jim Bogart” also emulates this feel, and will certainly bring back some of the nostalgia for the fans who have been following the duo long before Talon of the Hawk.
The other two tracks on the EP, “Lipstick Covered Magnets” and “Be Nice to Me,” are more punk, which leads me to believe that they were created when the band started experimenting with their sound. “Be Nice to Me” in particular is meant more for a was less whiny and more mosh-pit fun, which is reminiscent to “The Feud,” “Tattooed Tears,” “Skeleton” and some of the other more fast-paced tracks off of Talon of the Hawk.
From what I heard, Rose is the first in a series of EPs named after the duo’s grandmothers, that reworks old favorites. In a way, I’m glad the duo is taking this approach. It’s new music for a lot of their fans, even those like me who discovered them right before their 2011 release. I’m excited to see these songs become fan favorites amongst their entire fan base in a life concert setting and even more pumped to hear some more tracks from the golden age on their next EP.
Related Articles:
Review: The Front Bottoms, ‘Talon of the Hawk’ (Lauren Stern)
Singles Party: The Front Bottoms ‘Twin-Sized Mattress’ (Staff)
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As the Managing Editor, Lauren Stern is responsible for curating Pop-Break.com’s content. This includes managing the editorial staff, coordinating the content calendar, and assigning publishing dates and deadlines. She graduated Rutgers University with a degree in Journalism and Philosophy. She spends her free time searching for the best gluten-free food in the Tri-State area, playing with her dogs, and reading an insane amount of books. She tweets constantly about pop culture and social issues and hopes you follow her musings @laurenpstern.
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