GET TO KNOW: The Front Bottoms (Ahead of Outbreak Festival)
- Ellen Lovell
- Apr 14
- 3 min read
There was a lot going on in New Jersey in 2006. Post-hardcore was hitting a peak on the Jersey scene, with bands like SENSES FAIL and THURSDAY dominating the top-8 friends list of every cool teenager with long black hair on Myspace. Somewhere in a New Jersey basement, Gerard Way was bleaching his hair white, preparing to unleash the most impactful rock album of the 21st century into the world with their band, MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE.
But away from the chaos and distortion of the post-hardcore landscape, a couple of college students were fooling around with an acoustic guitar and a drum kit in a New Jersey college dorm room. Now, twenty years later, THE FRONT BOTTOMS have played that acoustic guitar and drum kit all over the world, released 6 studio albums, and are showing no signs of stopping any time soon.
Whilst there have been additional members over the years, THE FRONT BOTTOMS currently consists of vocalist and guitarist Brian Sella, and drummer Mathew Uychich. Having spent the first few years of their career self-releasing music and touring aggressively, they were finally signed to Bar/None Records in 2011, and released their debut album the same year.
Mixing stripped-back acoustic folk-punk with nasally, emo vocals, this self-titled debut spoke to a brand new genre of fans looking for something a bit more raw than other artists in the genre at the time were providing. Sella’s lyricism is unfocused and random, with themes of loneliness and love, friendship and anger – often all in the same song.
It’s this unique approach to songwriting that adds to the mystery of the band; something that they have confessed is intentional over the years. It’s not always clear what they’re talking about, what the song is about and who the characters are. Heartbreakingly personal lyrics are often sung beside seemingly meaningless throw-away lines, like someone panicking after spilling an accidental secret and covering it up with a joke.
This humour is refined into sarcasm on their second album, Talon Of The Hawk, which was a springboard for their success upon its release in 2013. This sarcasm was carefully balanced alongside their most anthemic and emotional hits - tracks like Tattooed Tears and Twin Size Mattress – which are still amongst their most beloved and impactful.
A year later saw the release of the first ‘grandma’ EP. These EPs – each named after a different grandmother of a member of the band – are often released between full-length albums, and feature previously unreleased songs and old, re-worked demos. The first EP of it’s kind, Rose, featured Twin Size Mattress, which is an energetic love song and a solid staple in their set-lists to this day.
Following their signing to pop-punk label Fueled By Ramen in 2015, the band went on to release their most commercially successful album to date with BACK ON TOP. Whilst the band note that this was their first “professional” recording experience, the sound still remained as authentic as anything released previously. Even on later releases, such as 2017’s Going Grey and 2020’s In Sickness And In Flames, their unique style and approach to making music remained.
THE FRONT BOTTOMS know their strengths, and they never waiver from them. They always sound like they’re having fun, even when the songs slow down and their angst is palpable. The tracks are simple but effective, the lyrics silly or serious, or both and then neither.
And so it makes sense that their live shows are the same. With their touring members, each show is as fun and cathartic as the next. Two decades of heavy touring has distilled Sella’s natural showmanship, and their love for the stage is clear.
Since 2014, they have held their own annual festival in their home state of New Jersey, named Champagne Jam; the idea being that the band drink champagne and play until they’re too drunk to continue. Over the years, bands such as BALANCE AND COMPOSURE, JOYCE MANOR, SWEET PILL and REMO DRIVE have joined them on the bill, with a special London edition taking place in 2023.
With their most recent album You Are Who You Hang Out With having been released in 2023, their most recent tours have included a ten year anniversary tour for Back On Top, alongside some shows supporting KINGS OF LEON in stadiums.
With their sole planned UK show this year being at Outbreak in Manchester performing their seminal album Talon Of The Hawk in full, who knows what’s next for THE FRONT BOTTOMS? The only thing that is for sure is that it’ll be worth paying attention to.
The Front Bottoms will headlining the Friday of Outbreak Festival this year.
Words: Ellen Lovell
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