Album Reviews

When Frontier(s) came out swinging with “There Will Be No Miracles” here back in 2010, this new band featuring ex-members of Elliott and Mouthpiece immediately grabbed my attention with their driving Revelation Records style rock. But then they simply disappeared as quickly as they came up, only to now drop a new EP out of nowhere four years down the line. But holy shit, it was well worth the wait!

Take everything you loved about Elliott and then imagine them rocking even harder than ever before in a darker way. It’s emo, it’s rock, it’s post-whatever… but most of all it’s very, very good. You’ve got your driving, straight-ahead songs (“Higher Hills”, “33/3”) on the one hand and more sonically expansive tunes that aim for the six-minute mark on the other hand (“Our March”, “The Low High”). And it’s all rounded out nicely by Frontier(s) at their angriest in “Bare Hands”.

These guys have a real knack for writing songs that constantly seem on the verge of bursting wide open but then they quickly reign things back in and go for a sweet melodic line instead. And over it all there’s Chris Higdon’s inimitable voice that’s equal parts pained, powerful and slurred. I’m glad these dudes are back at it and I’m already hoping I won’t have to wait another four years for more tunes!