The Front Bottoms have released several demos from their newest album Needy When I’m Needy, and I must say, the raw, lyrically packed style fans know and love is back. As a long-time Front Bottoms fan, I was disappointed with the band’s last album Back on Top, which came out September of 2015. The thing that attracted me to the band as a teenager was how incomparable the content was to anything else. It wasn’t really pop-punk but it also wasn’t indie either. They were their own genre. Using lyrics with no chorus and passionate vocals that seemed more like story telling than songs.

The Front Bottoms exposed me to feelings and details in life that were seemingly simple but explained in the most interesting and mind-blowing fashion, and really made me look at music, emotions, and life itself in a completely different perspective. I felt as if everything around me could be perfectly explained through the band’s descriptions on life. Lighthearted yet incredibly deep, the band had me hooked immediately.

However, Back on Top seemed to be an experimental album. The band abandoned their acoustic and unfinished sound to dabble in the world of studio pop punk. Let’s just say it was really bad. Emotional and passionate lyrics which never followed a true compensational pattern were replaced with repetitive choruses and bland content. The unpredictable and light acoustics were replaced with aggressive electronic instruments that overpowered the vocals. Severely underwhelmed, I didn’t give the album another thought, and really gave up on any creative projects to come from the band.

However, I was pleasantly surprised when I heard the new demos released last month. Everything beautiful, unique and creative about The Front Bottoms was back in the best way. The album sounds as if they recorded it eight years ago, at their young, vibrant beginnings and I am in love, once again. The album also features a cover of one of their previously recorded Back on Top songs in this new album; “West Virginia”.

However, the song is renamed “Katana” in the new album and features a purely acoustic style, and many of the repetitive verses have been replaced with new and different lyrics. I found this interesting, and wondered if the band became aware of their changes in style and, displeased with the change, chose to move back to their original influences. The Front Bottoms have really made a comeback, and brought me back as a fan.

For those who have never gotten into this band, but have been meaning to, now is the perfect time. Needy When I’m Needy is what the Front Bottoms are about and flawlessly captures what is so pure and artistic about them.

The album can be pre-ordered now, but the official release-date is October 14th, 2016. The demos are also available on YouTube through the band’s official channel. I don’t know if The Front Bottoms will continue revisiting their classic style like they are now, or if this is just to help gain back old fans before they commercialize their sound again.

But, right now, the band is here, and they are making art in the most beautiful way, and listening to the new demos, I feel at home again.