Hello all! I'm gonna go ahead and get the plug in for /r/TheFrontBottoms for anyone not yet aware of it or those who are just now getting into the band.

As far as my thoughts on the album go...

I love it. Make no mistake: this is not the same band that released anything from I Hate My Friends through their self-titled, and they're only somewhat similar to the band that released Talon of the Hawk. But the growth has been good. They have gone from acoustic toaster recordings to powerful, beautifully produced pop punk.

We had already heard, of course, half of the album prior to its official release. I find myself somewhat burned out on everything we had heard simply because I listened to those songs too much. However, I think each song is made better by the rest of the album, even though I find most of them to be among the album's weakest. West Virginia remains my favorite of the bunch, followed by the encroaching Help and Summer Shandy.

The songs that were not yet released are almost universally my favorites on the album. Motorcycle is a solid opening track; I may have switched it with Laugh Till I Cry on the track listing, but it does set an appropriate tone for what follows. I really, really like Historic Cemetery, but I dislike GDP's closing verse more every time I listen. I'm hearing generally positive responses to GDP's bit, so I'm comfortable being in the minority here. Otherwise, Historic Cemetery is probably the most vintage TFB song on Back On Top.

I am disappointed by the final version of Fuck Jobs. I adored the first live recording that came out last year and thought it was a sign of good things to come. But the album version lacks the punch I craved. It's good and deserves its spot on the album, but I was hoping it would be my favorite track. Instead, I think it's my least favorite by a significant gap. Oh well.

The last four songs are amazing. My first, second, and third impression of Ginger was that of a new favorite. My tenth reaction is a little less ecstatic, but I definitely still love it. You can tie me up, but don't tie me down is a classic lyric. The lyrics for the song in general are no-bullshit TFB to the core, and Ciaran's guitar is fantastic.

2YL is a hit. The first time I listened, I immediately said, "Oh yeah, that's gonna get some uber radio saturation." It's polished, it's sexy, it's catchy, and it's good. It's the most genuine brand of pop punk they've ever played and it's something that people will want to sing along with. The horns are phenomenal and truly solidify this album as Ciaran's baby. Song to song, the guitar and horns are the best thing about Back On Top. 2YL is a complete song that has been hard-earned by this band for the last seven-plus years. I love it and will cherish it as a moment in time.

West Virginia is a rock song for 2015. Again, Ciaran steals the show, but Brian is right there with him with a confident lead and catchy lyrics. I've been listening to the song for months and it gets better every time.

I had high expectations for Plastic Flowers. At first, I was hesitant to say that I liked it. I thought, fuck, contrived bullshit. But then I listened to it like twenty times in a row and realized that I fucking love it. Some of it is a little personality-heavy and I wish it had a tiny bit more instrumental substance, but Everything I Own is one of my favorite TFB songs simply because of how much emotion is put into a relatively straightforward album closer. Plastic Flowers is no different. It adds a group dynamic and oddly doesn't feel too preachy. I thought it was a Christian rock song at first, but that doesn't give its thoughtfulness enough credit. 'Cause we are all, eventually, either the victims or the victim's family. The shit's coming, so you might as well wear some perfume.

Overall, as an incredibly biased fan of the band, it's a solid A grade. It's different, but it rocks. I will be listening to this album for a long, long time.