Firstly, two things to deal with if you’re not that familiar with The Front Bottoms: 1. yes, that IS their name. don’t let it put you off (it’s just short of losing all meaning anyway) 2. if Tom Delonge’s vocals wind you up, you’re not going to get on well with Brian Sella’s. There. Done.
Anyway, this is The Front Bottoms’ first full length effort since they managed to claw some international acclaim with their self titled 2011 effort, and the pop/punk/indie thing is arguably more popular than it was even then. ‘Talon Of The Hawk’ sees TFB as comfortable in this sound as they ever have been, and now the world’s been introduced to them properly, they get the chance to really show it. They have done a fine job in doing so here, and ‘Au Revoir’ suitably introduces their “we’re a bit nerdy but cool really” indie rock to new listeners.
‘Swear To God The Devil Made Me Do It’ is the highlight of the earlier parts of the album, and though the middle of ‘Talon Of The Hawk’ probably requires a little more patience than its opening and closing acts, the album on a whole is a very smooth listen. Despite not being a negative thing against them in particular, it’s still clear that The Front Bottoms have a bit of a narrow appeal within the confines of “rock music” on paper, and to really turn into the band that they’re threatening to be they might have to cast their net a little wider than they are.
Tracks like ‘Funny You Should Ask’, and ‘Lone Star’ show a mature band with a fine grasp on melody, and though ‘Talon Of The Hawk’ won’t quite excite in the way that their self titled record did, it’s got enough excellent material to retain old fans and generate new ones. The Front Bottoms have a fine future ahead of them, and ‘Talon Of The Hawk’ is certainly going to keep them headed in the right direction.
TOM AYLOTT