Indie Music Album Reviews

Front & Main - Look Both Ways

8/1/2023

Front & Main

Look Both Ways
self-released; 2023

4.0 out of 5

By Dom Eagle

Look Both Ways is the latest six-track EP from blues rock band, Front & Main. In the same vain as newer bands such as Queens of the Stone Age, I love that this group honors the bygone era of true blues/country rock while bringing something fresh to the table. I bring up Queens of the Stone Age because the lead vocalist of Front & Main really carries the same raw, powerful, near-operatic quality in his vocals as Josh Homme. It’s a beautiful voice. Polished rock. It’s so loud and evocative, and yet so silky smooth. An incredibly satisfying voice that you won’t want to stop hearing in a hurry.

On the opening track, “Throwing Stones,” the guitar riff and vocals blend so wonderfully atop the punchy beat. There’s such a grounded rock aesthetic to this beast of an intro. There’s a slight edge to the vocals and guitar-playing. This definitely doesn’t feel like your run-of-the-mill country/folk group. There’s such passion to the singing, and you can feel the energy in the guitar playing and drumming. Do you know what I mean? That feeling you get when you listen to a musician who’s really passionate about every note strummed or sung.

“Egyptian Cotton” has such a sizzling guitar riff. Absolutely adore this track. The way the trumpets riff in synchrony with the electric guitar is absolutely sublime too. And when you combine that with the scorching lead guitar and megaphone-style lead vocals? You’ve got a belting rock number. There’s such a great melody to this tune, but it’s the mixing and production that really sells me on it. I’m an absolute sucker for trumpets in a funky rock tune. The vocals, funky bass and drum fills are just the elements that merge to form the cherry on top of the cake. Oh, and of course there’s another sizzling organ solo in this track. Wow.

Though the EP only had six tracks to offer, I was definitely left yearning for more. There are laidback lounge tracks, such as “Watching The Stars” and roaring numbers, such as “Egyptian Cotton.” Front & Main is a soul rock band, and that doesn’t need to be said — the soul can be heard in their music.