After a three year drought since the release of Too in 2015, Los Angeles punk icons FIDLAR are back in quintessential FIDLAR fashion. In keeping with the spirit of 4/20, FIDLAR’s new single “Alcohol” is a celebration of reckless, manic hedonism in the spirit of classics like “Crackhead Ted” and “Cocaine.” “Alcohol” certainly sounds like some of FIDLAR’s earliest work, with extreme distortion and gnashing guitar held together by weighty percussion and frontman Zac Carper’s frayed-out, unhinged vocals. This similarity extends to the lyrics, which recall the joyous self-destruction of songs like “Wake Bake Skate” from the band’s 2013 debut album more than the (literally) more sober feel of Too. That being said, FIDLAR has always been a band that adamantly refuses to be pigeonholed, and that unpredictability is a key part of their enormous charm. We have exactly as much of an understanding of FIDLAR’s plans as they do, which is to say practically nothing. The one overarching constant behind FIDLAR is the notion that life is short and sometimes it’s worth it to just fully embrace doing something fun and stupid without overthinking anything. With that in mind, give “Alcohol” a listen below.
Leave a Reply