by Marie Scarsella, edited by Erik van Rheenen

The Front Bottoms didn’t start out as a serious band. Their first songs were recorded in one take, not mixed or mastered, and immediately thrown on the Internet. They’re also named after vaginas. But that doesn’t mean their early songs weren’t top notch, and that they didn’t evolve into something that’s a bit more serious. With their latest release, Rose, that progression is evident, and its turned those old, unmastered tracks into something totally new without losing their personality.

“Flying Model Rockets” opens the EP, and it has a little more punch than its original version. It’s slightly faster, slightly more jangly, and slightly more powerful in its new form. “Lipstick Covered Magnet” follows suit, incorporating a faster pace and cleaner gang vocals. The incorporation of the cleaner chanting adds an entirely new facet to the already multidimensional song. While it was always a strong track for the band, this version makes it hit just that much harder.

“Awkward Conversation” is the EPs rawest track, however, it is not raw in the sense that it is gritty or poorly recorded. Instead, it’s raw emotionally. Singer Brian Sella spills his heart on the acoustic track, and despite its simplicity, the track’s intensity builds with each strum.

“Twelve Feet Deep” is the most prominent track on Rose, as it sounds like it could fit perfectly on the band’s latest full length, Talon of the Hawk. Though it’s one of the band’s oldest songs, it perfectly showcases their style in the EP version, allowing fans to see the band’s roots and their progression all in the span of four minutes. It throws back to the band at a simpler time, yet it also shows them at their best and brightest, making it very clear that the Front Bottoms haven’t abandoned their roots, instead, they tried to expand upon them to get closer to perfection.

If Rose didn’t make it clear enough, they succeeded.