It’s March, so you know what that means—it’s time to start listening to all your absurdly upbeat summer road trip playlists because, hey, you’re nothing if not a masochist, and there’s nothing like listening to some chill east-meets-west surf-rock “chunes” while driving 95 km northbound on the grey and grisly Highway 6.
Cold Fronts is the Philadelphia-based brain-child and creative outlet of Craig Almquist, whose band released its debut album Forever Whatever back in 2015.
Fresh from touring with the all-girl all-badass Hinds as part of the worldwide Leave Me Alone tour, Cold Fronts has only improved upon their sunny-funny, gritty-witty, teenage dirtbag sound.
Forever Whatever laments (among other delightful young adult tropes) the lovable-though-shitty smartypants friend in “Know It All” and hints at the inconsummate mythos of the North American young adult experience in “Permanent Record” as Almquist croons, “I thought being young was supposed to be fun.”
Cold Fronts is a rare creative force that makes me almost wistful for state-wide Americana. Regardless, Forever Whatever is a syrupy-sweet take on surfer pop punk.
Photo courtesy of Cold Fronts.