by: Chris DePastene

A month ago, some big news was released out of The Front Bottoms camp. The band announced their signing with the label Fueled By Ramen, in addition to the release of  a new album, Back On Top, to be released on September 18th.

With this announcement, the Jersey natives debuted a new track off the album, ‘Help’. According to the tracklist, ‘Help’ will be joined by previously released tracks such as, ‘Cough It Out’ and ‘West Virginia’ to help round out the 11-track Back On Top album.

Right off the bat of listening to any of the three newly released tracks, you will hear a noticeable level of polish not ever before produced by the band. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still the classic absurdist-pop-punk-folk-whatever that Front Bottoms fans know and love. It’s just a shinier version which likely has something to do with their affiliation with a new label.

This is not to discourage fans of their more lo-fi aesthetic, however: the newer sound suits the band and seems like a logical progression from their last album, Talon Of The Hawk. Lyrically, the three released songs continue to stray from the slightly absurdist nature of The Front Bottoms first album (a process that started with Talon). In the same vein as the production, this is a maturation, as this is the band finding their sound. ‘West Virginia’, ‘Cough It Out’, and ‘Help’ are only a small taste, and yet clear indications that The Front Bottoms are on track to release one of the most memorable releases of the year, and definitely one of the most anticipated.

Check out The Front Bottoms on tour across North America this fall with The Smith Street Band and Elvis Depressedly. After which, they will head to the UK with Brooklyn’s own, Kevin Devine and the Goddamn Band.