The Front Bottoms

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The Front Bottoms
OriginWoodcliff Lake, New Jersey, United States
GenresFolk punk, folk rock, indie rock, emo
Years active2006–present
LabelsBar/None, Fueled by Ramen
Members
  • Brian Sella
  • Mathew Uychich
Past members
  • Brian Uychich
  • Ciaran O'Donnell
Websitewww.thefrontbottoms.com

The Front Bottoms are an American rock band from Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey, formed in 2006. They are currently a duo consisting of lead vocalist and guitarist Brian Sella and drummer Mat Uychich. During live performances, they are currently accompanied by touring members, including guitarist and backing vocalist AJ Peacox, bassist and backing vocalist Natalie Newbold, and bassist, guitarist and backing vocalist Erik Kase Romero.

Their music has also been described as rock, indie rock, folk punk and, according to Sella, indie pop or acoustic pop.[1]

History

Early years (2006–2010)

The group formed in 2006 in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.[2][3] In August 2007, after Brian Sella (vocals, guitar, lyricist) finished his first year of college, he and childhood friend Mathew Uychich (drums) began playing together under the name The Front Bottoms. Soon after, Uychich's brother, Brian Uychich, (keyboard, vocals) began sitting in on their practices. Brian asked to join the band, playing an old keyboard he found in the Uychich family attic. This completed the original lineup, with which the first two albums and EP were recorded.[4] The band's name is a euphemism for vagina. Frontman Sella said of it, "This is our name. If you don’t like it then you don’t like it."[5]

They spent the next few years playing locally around New Jersey and eventually doing extensive tours around the country. In between tours, Sella worked at a grocery store and Uychich worked in landscaping. During this time, they put out a self-released album, I Hate My Friends, in 2008. Then they released an EP, Brothers Can't Be Friends, the same year. They released a second album in 2009, My Grandma vs Pneumonia. Additionally, a five-song cassette, Calm Down and Breathe, was handmade by the band in 2009, and limited to 30 copies. They were part of the New Brunswick-based artist collective Tiny Giant.

Independent years (2010–2015)

Around 2010, the band started writing material for what would become their self-titled album. They released an EP called Slow Dance To Soft Rock which contained six tracks later remastered for the LP. A second EP, Grip N' Tie, was planned to be released later that year but was canceled. The songs that were on it were instead combined with the previous EP to produce an entire album. In late 2010, the band filmed a music video for "Maps", after being contacted through Myspace by an anonymous filmmaker, which gave them great exposure. On June 2, 2011, the band had announced that they signed with Bar/None Records and would release their self-titled debut studio album on September 6, 2011.

As of late 2010, Brian Uychich left the band to concentrate on school full-time. The Front Bottoms replaced Uychich with a new touring musician, Drew Villafuerte, who played bass in addition to keyboards. In 2012, Villafuerte stopped touring with the band as well, citing the extensive touring as too difficult. He was replaced by Tom Warren and Ciaran O'Donnell.[citation needed]

In March 2013, the band released a video for "Twin Size Mattress" on YouTube in the promotion of their next record. Their second studio album, Talon of the Hawk, was released on May 21, 2013.

On June 17, 2014, the band released a six-song EP, Rose.[6] The EP was named for Mathew Uychich's grandmother Rosemary, who is depicted in the cover art. The music video for "Twelve Feet Deep" shows the band, along with audience members at a live show, wearing masks of Rosemary's face as depicted on the album cover.[7]

On April 18, 2015, Run for Cover and Bar/None Records released two songs by the band, and two songs by rapper GDP on Liberty and Prosperity, a split EP.[8]

Fueled by Ramen (2015–present)

In June 2015, it was announced they had signed to the label Fueled by Ramen.[9] The Front Bottoms released their third studio album Back on Top on September 18, 2015, via Fueled by Ramen.

On March 7, 2016, they released a new song, "Noodle Monster", on the Fueled by Ramen YouTube Channel.[10] On June 26, 2016, Pitchfork released a music video for the song "Ginger" from Back on Top. The video was directed by Marlon Brandope and shot in Cranston, Rhode Island.[11]

Preceded by the single "Raining", the band released their fourth studio album, Going Grey, on October 13, 2017.

In an interview in February 2018, Sella confirmed the release of the Ann EP, the second in the 'Grandma series'. The EP was released on May 18, 2018, via Fueled by Ramen, and a music video for its final song, "Tie Dye Dragon", was released on March 16.[12]

In 2019, former guitarist Ciaran O'Donnell, who played with the band from 2012 to 2017, was accused of sexually assaulting a fan.[13]

On December 20, 2019, they released the song "Camouflage" and an accompanying music video. This was followed by the song "Everyone Blooms" and its video on April 17, 2020.

On July 3, 2020, the band announced their album In Sickness & in Flames and released the song "Montgomery Forever" with its video.[14] On August 14, 2020, they released the song "Fairbanks, Alaska",[15] and the album on August 21, 2020.[16]

On September 2, 2022, the band released the Theresa EP with five re-recorded versions of unreleased fan favorites and oldies that serve as the third installment of the band's popular Grandma EP series.[17]

On April 17, 2023, the band released the song "Outlook", along with an accompanying music video. At the same time, the band announced their next album, You Are Who You Hang Out With, was released on August 4, 2023. On April 25, they announced a tour for the album, starting on August 1, 2023, including an album release show at Red Rocks Amphitheatre the night of the album release. Supporting acts include Kevin Devine & the Goddamn Band.

The band also released two new music videos for two new songs, one on June 8, 2023 called Punching Bag and one on July 13, 2023 called Emotional. Both are from the album You Are Who You Hang Out With came out on August 4, 2023.

Critical reception

Reviews of their 2020 album, In Sickness and in Flames, were mixed. Reviewing for NME, Samantha Maine praises the band's work, writing, "With album seven, The Front Bottoms have crafted a sharp and unflinching collection that harks back to the magic of their 2011 self-titled debut. The New Jersey folk-punk band took a creative risk with 2017's synth-packed ‘Going Grey’, and ‘In Sickness & In Flames’ finds them returning to more familiar territory, confirming their ability to mine millennial angst with verve."[18] Pitchfork Media reviewer Julia Gray, on the other hand, argues, "The album is twee and punk and neither of those things. It's understandable that the Front Bottoms, a band whose legacy revolves around post-adolescent growing pains, have lost some of the spark that fueled their first six albums. They're older now, no longer concerned with the girl that forgot about them during her semester abroad. Sella once stood out for a demeanor that was both wide-eyed and jaded, torn between a yelp and a sigh. In Sickness & In Flames tilts too far toward the former; the Front Bottoms have lost their bite."[19]

Inspirations

The inspirations from this band according to Sella are Blink-182, Say Anything, Bright Eyes and New Jersey itself.[1][20] As for Uychich, he says that their only inspiration is their friends.[1] They could also be inspired by Ridgewood's Senses Fail and other mid-2000's pop-punk bands.[20]

Band members

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