REVIEW: The Front Bottoms' "You Are Who You Hang Out With" via Fueled by Ramen

The Front Bottoms seem to be so much of an emo institution that it's become a joke. I recall a time back east, I was with my friends at a bar after our kly TCG tournament. One of my friends in particular only listens to emo and a Front Bottoms song came on. I asked if he knew it and he just laughed and said “of course.”

I, however, am a fake emo. This is my first Front Bottoms album.


Something that stuck with me about You Are Who You Hang Out With in particular are a lot of the vocal melodies and production on them. I feel like in this scene there’s a lot of gatekeeping and I’m surprised one of its greats uses auto-tune as, not only a vocal style, but a tool to enhance their music. That is especially apparent on “Paris” where there is a downbeat hook that I don’t even think would work at a normal register. The call and response vocal passages also really shine on the record and sometimes approach an almost hip hop-esque tone, at least that’s what it feels the influence is there. Sure, there are some points where that approach isn’t perfect. Songs like “Punching Bag” do sort of go on a bit too long but also when the instrumentation is that good and the melody is that streamlined I honestly give it a pass.


On tracks like “Punching Bag,” however, is where the thematics of the record really shine. Here we’re singing about getting emotions out but being honest in the fact that sometimes that is ugly. You need to engross yourself in that rage if you can do it in a healthy way. Sometimes the biggest hurdle is the hurdle of not being ashamed of our own darknesses and what they make us confront. The record explores other facets of that darkness as well, like being able to laugh at ourselves in “Fake Gold,” which offers a brutally honest view of the band's history.


When a band has a really big reputation, I never really know what to expect when I finally check them out. I’m usually so caught up in what’s new that it’s hard to get into bands by their old songs when the year is well underway. More often than not I’m pleasantly surprised and this was one of those cases. There was at least one song I wasn’t crazy about, and I wouldn’t go back to this closer out of context to the rest of the body of work. But I think this was a real stand out emo record for 2023.


Our rating - 8/10
  1. Emotional
  2. Outlook
  3. Punching Bag
  4. Clear Path
  5. Not Joking
  6. Paris
  7. Fake Gold
  8. Brick
  9. Batman
  10. Finding Your Way Home

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