Bottoms up: Indie-pop duo washes down post-college woes with realist lyrics
Not only that, but he sings about things we have all been through and thought about but may not have the courage to say ourselves.
As one half of indie pop duo The Front Bottoms, Sella sings about postgraduate problems with cleverness and wit, his voice shining through in his quirky and relatable lyrics. Along with drummer and horn player Matt Uychich, they channel the lyrical humor and charm of Say Anything with the acoustic strumming and horn section of Neutral Milk Hotel, creating an impressive 12-song album that is worthy of multiple listens.
While it may not break any new musical ground, the album does not have any particularly weak tracks. The various multilayered instruments — whether it be piano, synthesizer or horns — keep every song fresh. The Front Bottoms’ lo-fi indie sound is poised and polished, rare for a debut album, especially from two band members in their early twenties.
The album opener, ‘Flashlight,’ begins with an acoustic guitar riff similar to Death Cab for Cutie’s ‘Title and Registration’ before exploding with Uychich’s furious pounding and a multilayered distorted guitar riff. Sella, who is only a few years removed from college, crafts tales of heartbreak, love and loss with self-depreciating humor. The entire second verse of ‘Flashlight’ deals with being unemployed after college, with the only prospect of hope coming in the form of drinking and hanging out with friends. Despite the seriousness and somewhat dark undertones of the lyrics, Sella’s guitar work and unique voice coupled with Uychich’s well-timed drumming make it sound like everything is going to be okay for not only them, but also for the thousands of college graduates in the same situation.
The first single, ‘Maps,’ features acoustic power chords backed by a string section as Sella sings about the trials and tribulations of being a musician in today’s age: ‘One day you’ll be washing yourself with hand soap in a public bathroom / Thinking how did I get here / Where the hell am I?’
On ‘The Beers’ and ‘Swimming Pool,’ Sella exposes his heart to pain as he does all he can to impress the girl he likes: ‘I will remember that summer as the summer I was taking steroids / Because you like a man with muscle / And I like you.’ But he also sings about what happens when you don’t have the same feelings for someone: ‘How low is your self-esteem / I know you’re in love with me / And I’ve been ignoring you.’
‘Legit Tattoo Gun’ features a loud distorted guitar as well as great backing vocals by Uychich as they sing about possibly finding ‘the one’ at a party.
Despite the more serious topics found in the lyrics, each song becomes a sing-along. Stella paints a picture of suburban postgraduate life through the trials and tribulations of love, work and partying. In ‘Looking Like You Just Woke Up’ Sella says he ‘likes the idea of places I’ll never go,’ but after this release, he and The Front Bottoms just may be on their way to the places he’s always dreamed about.
Published on September 5, 2011 at 12:00 pm
