Album Review: “FIDLAR”

Remember Yuck? About two years ago, the band burst onto the scene with garage music that channeled all of the reckless abandon of ‘90s music. For people who liked Yuck, but wished it would be even more reckless, FIDLAR is here to grant all their wishes.

In its self-titled album, FIDLAR takes garage rock and elevates it to new, louder heights. The guitars run wild and the drums act like a bull in a china shop. Vocals ride on the bull’s back, screaming at all the patrons of the china shop to get out of the way. It’s loud, it’s energetic, it’s raw and it’s great.

“FIDLAR” is not for the faint of heart, though. Nor is it for those looking for morality in their music. Lyrics on the album range from celebrating booze to drugs to general rebelliousness. In “Stoked and Broke,” for example, the lyrics proudly proclaim, “There’s nothing wrong with living like this/ All my friends are pieces of shit,” presumably because they are all stoked – and broke.

The young men of FIDLAR do, however, seem to reflect on this lifestyle in “No Waves,” with the lead vocalist singing that “I feel, feel like I’m already 80 years old/ And skin so cold/ I need a new body and I need a new soul.”

Most of the rest of the songs on the album follow this general theme, with a couple of fun anomalies such as “Max Can’t Surf,” in which the main part of the chorus is “Max can’t surf.” Somehow, though, it’s incredibly catchy. Listeners will forgive Max without question, because this song is one of the best on the album.

All in all, those drawn to FIDLAR’s music will enjoy it for the raw energy it brings. It’s pure irreverent fun. Those looking for deeper songwriting, however, will be disappointed.

Unfortunately, after the first seven tracks on the 14-track album, listeners will also start to realize that many of the songs sound the same; each track tends to be roughly the same volume and the same tempo. In a live concert, this would be less noticeable, and the band’s boundless energy on stage would doubtlessly make up for any lack of musical variety.

In fact, FIDLAR’s music is perfectly suited for a live show, and the constraints of a studio recording hamper the album a little bit.

Now, that is not to say that every song is identical. “Gimme Something” is less of a in-your-face song that includes a welcome dose of acoustic guitar, and “LDA” also seems to be more focused on melody than raw energy. But those musical breaks are few and far between, making FIDLAR’s music better to listen to on an individual song basis as opposed to listening to the whole album at the same time.

The men of FIDLAR clearly love the music they play. Their energy is infectious, and it gives the band’s music a momentum that is impossible to stop.

“Max Can’t Surf” will no doubt be thought of as one of the better and catchier rock songs of the year, and the band may very well be thought of as this year’s Yuck. The band’s album is a good effort, and fans of garage rock will find many things to love about it.

That being said, this album is definitely within the garage rock “comfort zone,” and hopefully future releases by the band will continue to grow and evolve to include more musical variety. If their musical energy is any indication, the men of FIDLAR certainly have the ability to become a truly great rock band.

Email Bain at abain@media.ucla.edu.