A crippling economic recession, an endless war, a new president, and the mess has only begun. The edges of everyone's lives are much sharper than they used to be. The world is a guarded place. It's only fitting that a band like Frontier(s) exist at such a critical juncture.

Though the outfit is new, the members aren't. As the front man for Elliott, the band in which he spent most of his adult life, Chris Higdon's voice was and remains the magnetic prototype whose variations crop up in emo groups gracing the pages of Alternative Press. Guitarist Matt Wieder cut his teeth in the early '90s hardcore outfit Mouthpiece before relocating to Louisville. Drummer Eagle Barber is also an import by way of the Pacific coast's rainy oasis, Seattle. Bassist Bryan Todd, this group's earliest collaborator, calls the River City home.

Hopelessly Midwestern, Louisville never accepted east or west coast definitions of post-anything, and Frontier(s) is no different. Serrating, D.C.-inflected guitars, tightly wound bass, and dime-stop drums are the brick to Higdon's mortar as he switches between airy tones ("Abul Abbas") and boot-shaking roar ("Poor Souls"). The newest batch is coming to a record soon, thanks to fruitful sessions at The Funeral Home with engineer Kevin Ratterman, and you won't be able to stop this kinetic train.