Label: FAT WRECK CHORDS

 

face to face are a rarity in the music world: A band that not only helped define a sound, but who continue to fine-tune their music with each subsequent release. This is undoubtedly true of the band’s tenth full-length No Way out but Through, a melodic-punk masterpiece teeming with blistering guitar riffs, fleet fingered basslines and vocal harmonies that are so infectious they’ll be rattling around your brain for weeks on end. Then again this should come as no surprise to anyone who has followed face to face’s 30-year history. While their sound is rooted in the West Coast punk genre they helped pioneer, No Way out but Through raises the sonic bar when it comes to songwriting, arranging and musicianship. This time around, singer/guitarist Trever Keith was able to get out of his proverbial comfort zone by renting a cabin near Malibu, California, and holed up with bassist Scott Shiflett as they transformed a collection of their respective demos and ideas into the polished recording you hear today. Production-wise, the band teamed up again with Juno Award-winning producer Siegfried Meier and Davey Warsop (Foo Fighters, Green Day) and later was mixed and mastered by Jason Livermore at the legendary Blasting Room. The result is an album that’s sound quality mirrors its sonic weight and is the best-sounding face to face album to date. From the first notes of the opening salvo “Black Eye Specialist” to the melodic power of “Anonymous” and classic energy of the first single “No Way out but Through” the album is exactly what you want if you’re a face to face fan. They are a band who aren’t afraid to take chances. Evident throughout this album; most notably on the closer “Farewell Song,” which sees face to face exploring a different side of their songwriting. This album sees Keith, who has always been known for his motivational anthems, penning some of his most introspective lyrics to date. These themes range from overcoming anxiety to self-acceptance, ideas that have been a constant aspect of face to face’s mission statement as their sound has constantly evolved. This is strikingly palpable on the album’s title track which urges the listener to “make up your mind and take up a side/there is no way out but there is a way through” over a relentless rhythm and chiming guitar line.

 

While at lot of bands celebrating their 30th anniversary are releasing reissues and retreading their past, face to face have crafted one of the most vital and energized albums of their career.

 

1. Black Eye Specialist

2. No Way out but Through

3. A Miss Is as good as a Mile

4. Blanked Out

5. Anonymous

6. Ruination Here We Come

7. Long Way Down

8. Vertigo-go

9. You Were Wrong About Me

10. Spit Shine

11. This Is My Vanishing Act

12. Farewell Song