In this series we look back into the year 2013 by reviewing an album from this year every other week.
FIDLAR, or Fuck it Dog, Let’s take a Risk, was formed by Zac Carper and Elvis Kuehn in LA in 2009. Elvis‚ brother Max Kuehn and Brandon Schwartzel joined quickly afterwards, and apart from Elvis Kuehn leaving the band in 2022, the original line-up of FIDLAR still exists until present day. The band soon shared stages with The Black Lips or The Hives, and their snotty Garage, Skate and Surf Punk was real zinger. Some awards and a debut EP called „DIYDUI“ (2011) later, the first album was released via Mom + Pop Music, Wichita Recordings and Dine Alone Records on January 22, 2013.
The reviews and the reception were amazing for FIDLAR’s first longplayer, and a decade later one can say that it was really a refreshing sound that the Californian band has produced. Although being terribly incoherent, the album is crammed with entertainment and variety. FIDLAR played what they loved and what they wanted to play, and thus fuzz-loaded Garage Rock exists besides melodic Indie Rock, eardrums-bursting Noise, moshpit-destryoing Hardcore, or Skate and Surf Punk that tastes like the sweetest summer.
When they released thier selftitled debut, FIDLAR were something like the reincarnation of The Adolescents, Devo and Zombie Ghost Train at once. In a time when Punk Rock was flooded with the music by privileged upper middle-class kids, FIDLAR were the saviours who brought the honest sounds for the skate parks. Despite all inoherence and some weaker tracks, „FIDLAR“ was a collection of legit bangers.
7/10 Mangoes
