Punk rock veterans face to face are celebrating their twenty-fifth anniversary as a band by returning to Fat Wreck Chords for their ninth studio album Protection. The “back to basics” approach to the album will re-introduce fans back to their traditional Southern California punk sound and will be available Friday, March 4, 2016.
The album is a stark reminder many of the wounds ailing disgruntled youth of the 90s have not quite healed. The perspective of a 40-something punk rocker who has been connecting social commentary to songs worth singing and jumping to is just as valuable as it was a quarter of a century ago.
Protection starts strong with “Bent But Not Broken”, a song founder Trevor Keith says is “about people who aren’t willing to listen to opposing viewpoints because they are so mired in their own beliefs, they can’t see they are bent.”
Protection also draws attention to modern society’s obsession with social media and reality-based fame in “14:59”. Keith proclaims the song “is a commentary on Western culture and its obsession in the past few decades with reality-based fame that comes for people who have no skill other than just being famous. I think it’s disgusting. I hate it.”
Credit for the clean, yet raw, sound of Protection can be credited to Descendents’ drummer and universally respected producer Bill Stevenson in his studio, The Blasting Room. Although he was the first outside producer the band has worked with in over twenty years, “It was a fantastic experience,” Keith says, “Bill was great to work with.” face to face was able to spend more time focusing on the music but were opened to suggestions. “Bill’s influence on the song arrangements and background vocals was key in giving the record the sound that it has.”
The group has already announced appearances at Groezrock in Belgium and Punk Rock Bowling in Las Vegas in 2016. face to face will also be celebrating their twentieth anniversary this year by re-releasing special edition copies of their early albums.
Perhaps the most important aspect of this release is another band that helped shape our misspent youth continues to be an outlet and a rallying call. “I love the idea that our music can take people out of the grind of their daily lives for a little while and that we can connect emotionally,” confesses Keith. “It’s an awesome and powerful thing.”
You can pre-order Protection through Fat Wreck Chords by clicking HERE!
Related Links:
face to face Website
face to face Facebook
Fat Wreck Chords Website
Punk Rock Bowling 2016
Article by Blake Taylor