The Front Bottoms | In Sickness & In Flames
Sean 👦 👨🏻
Well this was a really nice surprise. I have not had too much experience with the recent work of the Front Bottoms. To be honest I was avoiding any album since Talon Of The Hawk (wow that was seven years ago) to preserve the memory I had of them as a younger person. Back then their lyrics, and sounds really resonated with me. I am Happy to say that like me the band has been growing up and going through things, and then putting those things in their songs. “In Sickness & In Flames” shows the bands progression to a more temperate kind of state while still holding onto the angst that keeps me coming back. If you have been growing up and need some songs to kick your feet too in agreement check this release out.
Greg
It’s been a long time since Brian Sella belted out “Au revior” and boasted about the summer he took steroids. Front Bottoms is a love or hate sort of band, this was particularly true during their “Talon of the Hawk” introduction. So for those who have always been on the fence about TFB, “In Sickness and in Flames” is arguably their most accessible album. For the devoted fans like myself and others, ISAIF may leave you craving just a little more of the Sella crescendoing weirdness.
Mary
I really love this but I don't know if I know how to talk about it.
Dillon
👶👨 - The Front Bottoms, Brian Sella and Mat Uychich (yes and a myriad of other live set folks), have been staples of the Folk Punk//Emo Punk scene since their S/T dropped 9 fucking years ago (time is scary and I don’t like it). Their latest release In Sickness and In Flames finds TFB bringing a far more mature, but still clever sound. For most fans of these two native New Jersians the common wisdom has been that the S/T and their follow-up Talon of the Hawk showed the band at the height of their powers. TFB has always had this charming quality to them. It’s very, very easy for me to slip into daydreams about old backyard/basement punk shows while listening to songs like “Tattooed Tears” or “Maps”. And, I think as the band got a bit more polish on ‘em with Back on Top and Going Grey, this quality kinda wore away but wasn’t necessarily replaced by anything. They kinda just sounded like a decent-to-good rock band on those albums. What was I talking about again? Oh! Right! The new album, In Sickness and In Flames is TFB sounding like the band we hoped they could grow to become. The goofy lyrics are still here but feel like a friend referencing an in-joke to you over reunion beers. Expecting this band to sound and feel the same way they did almost 10 years ago is real dumb. In Sickness and In Flames finds TFB growing and maturing while still holding onto their goofy, relatable, and poignant lyrical turns.