Frank Iero is back with a new band, The Future Violents, who have produced a new album, Barriers, on a new label, UNFD. The record will drop on May 31st and the first single, “Young and Doomed”, was released on March 21st. The release includes both the digital track and a music video.
As I pondered this review of “Young and Doomed” only one word kept coming to mind – RAW! Not just this song but Jersey rock in general. Every New Jersey musician/band I have listened to, whether melodic or chaotic both musically and lyrically will leave blood and guts on the floor. Iero is no exception. In this single alone he speaks from the soul about losing out on life by holding himself back. It is a great song for introducing the album dealing barriers that Frank has either constructed or wanted to tear down in his life. This song tackles the barrier a person can build up thinking they are protecting themselves when in reality it is causing harm by cutting them off from other people.
Musically this track is post-Jersey hard-core at its heart. That definitive melodic skeleton covered in that raw skin. The vocal line coming from the gut possibly a little off-key at points but in a way you want it to be, you need it to be. Not perfect. It speaks to another friend of Iero’s, Geoff Rickley. Iero has borrowed directly from old friends Thursday by adding Tucker Rule as the drummer for this new band. Filling out the triple-play of Jersey musicians is Evan Nestor. Kayleigh Goldsworthy is a native of Upstate NY currently living in Philly and Matt Armstrong is the one non-East Coaster, hailing from Dallas TX. He is a former member of Murder by Death. Together they create that sound that draws out all those emotions it should including a couple of tiny moments of amusement. One is a lyrical and the other a visual at the end of the video, both nodding to Frank’s tenure in My Chemical Romance.
“Young and Doomed” is a great appetizer for the album. There are a total of 14 tracks recorded and mixed by Steve Albini. Watching Albini’s “Show Us Your Junk” on Earthquaker Devices’ YouTube series, this was a great choice because Steve states that his goal is “to record the sound of the band not create the sound of the band”. If the rest of this album has the same aesthetic then that rawness and realness needs to be preserved.
Frank Iero and The Future Violents will be touring the U.S. with Taking Back Sunday from 3/25-4/14. He will begin a headlining tour on 4/24 in South America and will end in NYC on 6/22. Frank will also be playing the 25th Anniversary Warped Tour shows in A.C. and Mountain View CA.
