The Front Bottoms

The Front Bottoms
Origin	Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey, United States
Genres	Folk punk, folk rock, indie rock, emo
Years active	2006–present
Labels	Bar/None, Fueled by Ramen
Members	Brian Sella Mathew Uychich
Past members	Brian Uychich Ciaran O'Donnell
Website	www.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.^{[ citation needed ]}

History

Early years (2006–2010)

The group formed in 2006 in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey. ^{[1] [2]} 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. ^[3] 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." ^[4]

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. ^[5] 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. ^[6]

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. ^[7]

Fueled by Ramen (2015–present)

In June 2015, it was announced they had signed to the label Fueled by Ramen. ^[8] 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. ^[9] 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. ^[10]

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. ^[11]

In 2019, former guitarist Ciaran O'Donnell, who played with the band from 2012 to 2017, was accused of sexually assaulting a fan. ^[12]

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. ^[13] On August 14, 2020, they released the song "Fairbanks, Alaska", ^[14] and the album on August 21, 2020. ^[15] Reviews of In Sickness and in Flames, were mixed. Reviewing for NME, Samantha Maine praises the band's work, calling the album "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." ^[16] 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." ^[17]

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. ^[18]

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, would be 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 songs were from the upcoming album, “You Are Who You Hang Out With”, which released on August 4, 2023. The album was met with mostly positive reviews. Many reviews identified the pop undertones, critic Quinn Gill noted that some fans feel as though the band is out of its golden age, but followed by writing “the duo has proven that it would rather try a million new things than grow stagnant”. ^[19]

Inspirations

Sella has stated that the band's inspirations are Blink-182, Say Anything, Bright Eyes and New Jersey itself.^{[ citation needed ] [20]} According to Uychich, their only inspiration is their friends.^{[ citation needed ]} The band is also influenced by Senses Fail and other mid-2000s pop-punk bands. ^[20]

Band members

Current members

• Brian Sella – vocals, guitar (2007–present)
• Mathew Uychich – drums (2007–present) ^[21]

Current touring members

• Erik Kase Romero – bass, guitar, backing vocals (2017–present)
• Natalie Newbold – bass, backing vocals (2020–present)
• AJ Peacox – guitar, backing vocals (2022–present)

Former touring musicians

• Brian Uychich – keys, backing vocals (2007–2010)
• Drew Villafuerte – bass, keys (2010–2012)
• Ciaran O'Donnell – guitar, trumpet, keys (2012–2017)
• Tom Warren – bass guitar, vocals (2012–2017), guitar, vocals (2017–2019)
• Jenn Fantaccione – violin, trumpet, cello, backing vocals (2017–2019)
• Roshane Karunaratne – keys, melodica, keytar (2017–2019)

Timeline

Discography

Studio albums

List of studio albums, with selected chart positions, showing other relevant details

Title	Details	Peak chart positions
		US [22]	US Alt [23]	US Indie [24]	US Rock [25]
I Hate My Friends	Released: 2008 Label: Self-released Formats: Digital download	–	–	–	–
My Grandma vs. Pneumonia	Released: 2009 Label: Self-released Formats: Digital download	–	–	–	–
The Front Bottoms	Released: September 27, 2011 Label: Bar/None Formats: LP, 2x10-inch vinyl, CD, digital download, streaming	–	–	–	–
Talon of the Hawk	Released: May 21, 2013 Label: Bar/None, Antique Formats: LP, CD, cassette, digital download, streaming	181	–	30	47
Back on Top	Released: September 18, 2015 Label: Fueled by Ramen Formats: LP, CD, digital download, streaming	32	6	–	10
Going Grey	Released: October 13, 2017 Label: Fueled by Ramen Formats: LP, CD, digital download, streaming	47	6	–	8
In Sickness & in Flames	Released: August 21, 2020 Label: Fueled by Ramen Formats: LP, CD, digital download, streaming	– [upper-alpha 1]	–	–	–
You Are Who You Hang Out With	Released: August 8, 2023 Label: Fueled by Ramen Formats: LP, CD, digital download, streaming	–	–	–	–

Extended plays

List of studio albums, with selected chart positions, showing other relevant details

Title	Details	Peak chart positions
		US [22]	US Indie [24]	US Rock [25]
Brothers Can't Be Friends	Released: 2008 Label: Self-released Formats: Digital download	–	–	–
Slow Dance to Soft Rock	Released: February 27, 2010 Label: Self-released Formats: Digital download	–	–	–
Summer of Steroids	Released: October 24, 2011 Label: Bar/None Formats: 7-inch vinyl	–	–	–
Rose	Released: June 17, 2014 Label: Bar/None Formats: 12-inch vinyl, CD, digital download, streaming	195	28	47
Liberty and Prosperity(with GDP)	Released: August 18, 2015 Label: Bar/None, Run for Cover Formats: 7-inch vinyl, digital download, streaming	–	–	–
Needy When I'm Needy	Released: October 14, 2016 Label: Fueled by Ramen Formats: 7-inch vinyl, cassette, digital download, streaming	–	–	–
Ann	Released: May 18, 2018 Label: Fueled by Ramen, Wuakaskole, Screwball Enterprise Formats: 12-inch vinyl, digital download, streaming	– [upper-alpha 2]	–	–
Devinyl Splits No. 12(with Kevin Devine)	Released: March 29, 2019 Label: Bad Timing, Many Hats Distribution Formats: 7-inch vinyl, digital download, streaming	–	–	–
Ukulele Versions	Released: June 19, 2020 Label: Self-released Formats: digital download	–	–	–
IS&IF Demos	Released: April 24, 2021 Label: Self-released Formats: digital download	–	–	–
Theresa	Released: September 2, 2022 Label: Elektra Formats: digital download	–	–	–

Singles

List of studio albums, with selected chart positions, showing other relevant details

Title	Year	Peak chart positions	Album
		US Alt [27]
"Cough it Out"	2015	–	Back on Top
"West Virginia"		–
"Help"		–
"Laugh Till I Cry"		–
"Summer Shandy"		–
"Get Numb"	2017	–	Non-album single
"Vacation Town		–	Going Grey
"Peace Sign"	2018	36
"End of Summer (Now I Know)"		–	Non-album single
"Allentown" (Manchester Orchestra)		–
"Camouflage"	2020	–	In Sickness & in Flames
"Everyone Blooms"		–
"Voodoo Magic"	2021	–	Non-album single
"Loverboy"		–
"More Than it Hurts You"	2022	–	Theresa

Music videos

• "Maps" (2010)
• "Swimming Pool" (2011)
• "Flashlight" (2011)
• "Christmas Wrapping" (2011)
• "Mountain" (2013)
• "Twin Size Mattress" (2013)
• "Skeleton" (2013)
• "Funny You Should Ask" (2013)
• "Backflip" (2014)
• "12 Feet Deep" (2014)
• "West Virginia" (2015)
• "Cough It Out" (2015)
• "HELP" (2015)
• "Laugh Till I Cry" (2015)
• "Summer Shandy" (2015)
• "Ginger" (2016)
• "2YL" (2016)
• "Raining" (2017)
• "Vacation Town" (2017)
• "Peace Sign" (2017)
• "Everyone But You" (2018)
• "Lonely Eyes" (2018)
• "Tie Dye Dragon" (2018)
• "camouflage" (2019)
• "everyone blooms." (2020)
• "montgomery forever" (2020)
• "Fairbanks, Alaska" (2020)
• "Voodoo Magic" (2021)
• "Emotional" (2023)
• "Paris" (2023)

Notes

1. In Sickness & in Flames did not enter the Billboard 200 but peaked at number 41 on the Top Album Sales component chart. ^[26]
2. Ann did not enter the Billboard 200 but peaked at number 70 on the Top Album Sales component chart. ^[26]

References

1. Niesel, Jeff (May 23, 2018). "10 Bands to See Next Weekend at the Agora at Spring Fling V". Cleveland Scene . Retrieved September 29, 2018.
2. Payne, Chris (March 16, 2018). "The Front Bottoms Announce New 'Grandma Series' EP, Share Enigmatic Video for 'Tie Dye Dragon'". Billboard . Retrieved September 29, 2018.
3. Nitschke, Elyse. "A lesson in music history: The Front Bottoms". The Advocate. Retrieved 2023-03-31.
4. Pearlman, Mischa (2014-07-01). "The Front Bottoms Reflect on How Far They've Come for a Band Whose Name Means "Vaginas"". Vice. Retrieved 2023-08-05.
5. "Artists: The Front Bottoms". Bar/None Records . Retrieved September 23, 2015.
6. The Front Bottoms – "12 Feet Deep" Music Video (Music video). YouTube. August 21, 2014. Retrieved September 23, 2015.
7. Sharp, Tyler (March 5, 2015). "The Front Bottoms, GDP split seven-inch officially announced". Alternative Press . Retrieved September 23, 2015.
8. Sharp, Tyler (June 23, 2013). "The Front Bottoms sign to Fueled by Ramen". Alternative Press. Retrieved July 20, 2015.
9. Fueled by Ramen (March 7, 2016). "The Front Bottoms: Noodle Monster (Audio)". Youtube.com. Retrieved November 13, 2017– via YouTube.
10. "The Front Bottoms Share New "Ginger" Video: Watch – Pitchfork". Pitchfork.com. June 27, 2016. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
11. "The Front Bottoms Interview [February 2018]". oftr.com. 20 February 2018. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
12. Reynolds, Elena Veris (2021-02-03). "In Search of Accountability: Indie Rock's Culture Problem". Roar News. Retrieved 2023-08-05.
13. "The Front Bottoms Announce New Album and Share "Montgomery Forever"". July 3, 2020.
14. The Front Bottoms – Fairbanks, Alaska , retrieved 2023-03-09
15. dad, bad (2020-07-05). "The Front Bottoms announce "In Sickness and In Flames" release date, drop new video". TGEFM. Retrieved 2023-03-09.
16. Maine, Samantha (2020-08-19). "The Front Bottoms – 'In Sickness & In Flames' review: millennial folk-punks encapsulate the tension of 2020". NME. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
17. "The Front Bottoms: In Sickness & In Flames". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
18. Major, Michael. "The Front Bottoms Release 'Theresa' EP". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2023-02-23.
19. "ALBUM REVIEW: The Front Bottoms lighten up on 'You Are Who You Hang Out With'". RIFF Magazine. 2023-07-30. Retrieved 2024-01-15.
20. Stempler, Falyn (2022-05-05). "Front Bottoms Return to Jersey City Roots With Shows: It's 'Very Full Circle'". New Jersey Monthly. Archived from the original on 2023-08-10. Retrieved 2023-03-09.
21. "The Front Bottoms". Bar/None Records. Retrieved 2023-10-03.
22. "The Front Bottoms Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard . Retrieved June 16, 2020.
23. "The Front Bottoms Chart History: Top Alternative Albums". Billboard . Retrieved June 16, 2020.
24. "The Front Bottoms Chart History: Independent Albums". Billboard . Retrieved June 16, 2020.
25. "The Front Bottoms Chart History: Top Rock Albums". Billboard . Retrieved June 16, 2020.
26. "The Front Bottoms Chart History: Top Album Sales". Billboard . Retrieved June 16, 2020.
27. "The Front Bottoms Chart History: Alternative Airplay". Billboard . Retrieved June 16, 2020.

External links

• Official website