Face To Face – No Way Out But Through

If you have not heard of Face To Face then your head must have been stuck in a beer glass for too long or you live somewhere in Outer Mongolia were even the horses have more knowledge than you.  So with that said, I’m pretty sure all you punk fans are well aware that Face To Face are one of the best bands that never quite reached the heights of Green Day or Foo Fighters, but non the less rank up there.

So after a gazillion albums and probably more live shows than can conceivably be counted, its now time for the latest full length to hit the airwaves, and hit it, it surely does, not only do they produce something that essentially is Face To Face, but this is also a move forward, a reaching up as far as they can at that.  It would be so easy to just churn out the same fantastic music that they have been for years, yet these guys have never really been ones for mediocre or stand still music, instead ‘No Way Out But Through’ is musically huge in stature without being up it self, lyrically different to what has come before, a more introspective and emotional journey beckons here.

Sliding the volume up full as ‘Black Eye Specialist’ powers on through your headphones is a given, the quality and depth of sound here is without doubt a step up that fits perfectly with the bands ethos of never be afraid to push the boundaries. 

After you’ve powered through the first single and title track ‘No Way Out But Through’ the next song that smashes this album out of all the boxes they may try and put this band in is ‘Blanked Out’ a sublime bass line filled power pop song with every right to be the best song on the album, but wait!  ‘Anonymous’ comes crashing in next, the melody itself has you by the scruff of the neck, add to that the machine gun drums and once again a bass that is being played like it was Scott’s third arm.

Throughout this album your subjected to an endless feeling of being uplifted, not to say that all is rosy within the lyrical body of most of the songs, but its not being put across as if the world is going to end and we should all be depressed, but instead this feels more of a spilling out of anxieties, problems and self acceptance, yet with a message of empowerment, beautifully shown in the likes of ‘Long Way Down’ and ‘Vertigo-Go’.  

Given that this is 30 years or so since Face To Face was born, with a few line up changes along the way, its hard not to be impressed with the fact that they sound so fresh and of the now, with this album, they have proven that they will not become a band that rest on there laurels, throws out a best of every so often or looks back over their shoulder for the next project, take the final track ‘Farewell Song’ as precursor to what might still be to come, a cathartic moment even, a curve ball of a song that fits like a glove to this album.

Face To Face are a band that may not have any influences, more like they are the influence!  Thus ‘No Way Out But Through’ pushes the bar to such a height that even Mr (king of nothing) Bezos won’t be flying that high.

Out via Fat Wreck Chords on 10th Sept

Get your copy of this album HERE

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