About
Comprised of guitarist/vocalist Brian Sella and drummer Mathew Uychich, The Front Bottoms have gripped listeners and press around the world with their ragged honesty and emotional urgency. The New Jersey based band’s 2017 LP, GOING GREY, arrived to critical acclaim with lead single “Peace Sign” breaking into the Alternative Radio charts. GOING GREY is highlighted by a string of celebrated singles, among them “Vacation Town,” “Everyone But You,” and “Raining,” which NPR avowed as “…brutally honest, witty and confessional…” adding, “The group’s heart and humor shine… .” The FADER declared, “The Front Bottoms make memorable sing-a-longs that call back to a different, simpler, sadder era of confessional guitar music” with Stereogum praising the new music as, “grand and reflective and damn near arena-ready.” “…Submit to the awesome power of The Front Bottoms” stated VICE, while A.V. Club professed, “The Front Bottoms are more confident, and secure enough to confess to all they don’t yet know. It’s a privilege to listen in as they work it out.”
Following the release of GOING GREY, The Front Bottoms shared standalone single, “End of summer (now I know),” followed by Ann, the 2nd installment of their Grandma Series EPs. The six-track collection featured five new recordings of never before released fan favorite songs as well as the brand-new track, “Tie Dye Dragon.” The band also joined forces with Manchester Orchestra on the collaborative track, “Allentown,” and released a cover of Kevin Devine’s “Just Stay” as part of his Devinyl Splits releases.
Kicking off the record with the snarky send-off “Au Revoir (Adios)”, it’s evident that Talon of the Hawk isn’t a departure but an extension of their last record. Their ode to marijuana, “Skeleton” is an herb-inspired rock song that’s just begging to become a sing-along staple at their live shows. The driving melody of “Lone Star” begs to be blasted out of the windows of a cross-country road trip. It is this very visceral and tangible sense of imagery that makes The Front Bottoms so relatable and so refreshing. Brian’s trademark stream-of-conscious lyrics is most evident on the seemingly-inspired-by-“La Bamba” track “Back Flip”, which explores regrettable tattoos, the process of breathing, and anticipating the changing of traffic lights. The contemplative and epically soaring “Twin Size Mattress” (the first publically released track from the album) embodies everything that made them such breakthrough artists… the surreal lyrics, Brian’s obtuse phrasing, the fascinatingly intricate guitar melodies, and Mat’s confident drumming. The song’s video – a road film of sorts – begins and ends with their van… the perfect embodiment of their last two years spent on the road, logging in hundreds of show, playing for thousands of fans, traveling countless miles of pavement.
