Album Reviews
Let me just blurt it out… Face To Face’s new album is good. Really good.
On their ninth studio full-length, these punk rock legends revisit a more back-to-basics sound with Bill Stevenson and Jason Livermore on board to produce. And with a sound that harkens back to the band’s early days, it made sense to return to their old stomping grounds as well. Which makes “Protection” Face To Face’s first album in almost two decades to come out to come out via Fat Wreck. Talk about coming full circle!
Anyway, “Protection” comes with eleven new tunes that are vintage Face To Face. They draw from the angst, energy and melody of the band’s early records, while at the same time showing off 25 years of experience. You’ve probably already heard “Double Crossed” and “Bent But Not Broken”, two songs that have been posted online leading up to the album’s release date. If you like them, you will find plenty more to enjoy on here.
More highlights come in the form of “Say What You Want”, the vicious yet incredibly catchy “Fourteen Fifty-Nine” and the extremely smooth “Keep Your Chin Up”. But honestly, all of these songs are shiny examples of why we all fell in love with this band in the first place. Face To Face might be celebrating their 25th anniversary this year, yet they still sound as vital as ever and give a ton of bands half their age a run for their money.
Lacking the talent to actually play in a band, Tom decided he would write about bands instead. Turns out his writing skills are mediocre at best as well.
