The Front Bottoms - "You Are Who You Hang Out With"
The Front Bottoms are a band that, honestly, it took a lot of adjusting (read: Stockholm) to find an appreciation for. They’re a really raw Folk Punk/Indie Rock group, and they lean into the awkward stuff, especially where it dovetails with depression, anxiety, etc. Frontman Brian Sella is kind of an icon, but only if you find awkward dorks iconic. But the band, as a whole, is honestly fantastic; my frequent response to their music when I was being (forcibly) introduced to them was that the accompaniment was exceptional, but I had issues with the vocals.
Sella’s guitar skills are still solid, but his vocals have also taken a huge step forward over the last several albums (since about 2018). The band’s melodies finally made their way into the vocal line!
And now we come to this album. You Are Who You Hang Out With is definitely not the worst Front Bottoms I’ve heard. Nor is it the best; at least, they finally hit their stride about the time “Brick” starts. The album is only ten tracks long, and the first seven just always have some element not really firing off. Some tracks seem to lack a melody, some lack their typical awkward witticisms in the lyrics, and some (specifically “Paris” and “Punching Bag”) are just way too repetitive.
That isn’t to say that all of those first seven songs are bad. They just aren’t the height of Front Bottom pleasure.1
If all ten tracks were as good as the last three, this album would be a shoe-in for the top twenty, at least. “Brick” and “Finding Your Way Home” are two of the best songs that the band has ever produced, despite that they feel a bit more serious and sincere than their usual material. “Batman” (which is also the title track, as the album title is a line within the song) is equally good, and spotlights the band’s more typical use of absurd scenarios and metaphors in their lyrics.
As much as I was forced to listen to them, I know this band’s strengths, and much of the album just feels like it ignores them.
The album could also use a clearer throughline. The title feels very typical for The Front Bottoms’ typical subject matter, so it doesn’t really help to isolate any thematic elements.
All told, the album is good, but not great, despite that it could have been. The final three songs underscore the missing potential here.
Rating: Green