2013 hit song, still captivating global audience

Review: Twin Sized Mattress by The Front Bottoms

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Nicole C. Kibert * elawgrrl.com

“The Front Bottoms @ FEST 11 10.28.12-29” by elawgrrl is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

Charlee Samuelson, Staff Writer - The Mustang Messenger

Twin Sized Mattress is a song by the band The Front Bottoms. The Front Bottoms are an American rock band led by Brian Sella, lead vocalist and guitarist, and Matt Uychich, drummer. The band has released many albums with a positive response from fans. One of their most popular songs is ‘Twin Sized Mattress,’ with its amazing storytelling, vocals, and symbolism.

Twin Sized Mattress features a representation of common life struggles. Instead of hiding the flaws, the song emphasizes its mistakes as part of the aesthetic. The song feels like a mental breakdown. The vocal stylings of Brian Sella feels authentic, which fits with the serious yet playful tone, which is a bit off key.

The meaning behind the song is debated, however, the song could be a representation of drug abuse. Many believe that it is a recount of rejection based on sexual orientation. No matter the perspective, the song is a representation of growing up and coming of age.

“It really helps me feel like the main character.” A quote from Bee Keller, explaining the essence of the song.

The symbolism behind the song is what carries it. In the lyrics you will find beautiful poetry that captivates the nostalgia of childhood. Twin Sized Mattress manages to represent so many traumatic situations while still having an upbeat instrumental. The lyrics demonstrate a feeling of being stuck in the past and articulates how a childhood experience can feel overwhelming. There are many metaphors for broken friendships. “I love the meaning behind the song, it’s my favorite part. It feels like childhood. This song represents that.” Emilee Samuelson explaining the meaning of Twin Sized Mattress.

Brian Sella’s voice is cracky. He can’t hit low and high notes correctly. He has horrible pitch accuracy in his earlier songs. Yet, you can hear the emotion and pain in his voice and it adds to the experience.

“The Front Bottoms suck, and I love them.” Stated an anonymous YouTube commenter. 

His voice goes along with the instrumental. The music starts off with a soft but fast paced guitar. Then, the guitar and drums pick up the pace with a loud boom. The sounds fall slow as the next few lyrics begin. You can hear Brian Sella’s throat choke as he sings the third verse. The music never overpowers the vocals as they blend together. After the chorus finishes, an instrumental starts with a slow melody while the drum line continues in a strong fast paced beat in the background. The instrumental gets louder and faster again in the final verse, before slowing down once more; fading to silence. It gets your heart pounding as memories flood back to your mind.

‘Twin Sized Mattress’ is an amazing song that has a wonderful set of instrumentals, vocals, and symbolic lyrics. Listeners from around the world can relate to the message within ‘Twin Sized Mattress.’ The flaws of the song are truly what makes it great. 

“The Twin Sized Mattress song helped me cope through tough times. It is very emotional and was a life altering song to me. [It] is a very big part of my life.”  Exxon Jimenez