Across a career that spans more than 20 years and a head-spinning amount of music, Fucked Up have balanced straight-up hardcore with a sideline as art-punk provocateurs. Their breakthrough album ‘The Chemistry of Common Life’ scooped the Polaris Prize — Canada’s answer to the Mercury — in 2009, while with ‘David Comes To Life’ they went full concept in 2011, setting out an experimental ethos they’d further develop on.
Their seventh album ‘Another Day’ shows that there is mileage in countering that impulse with something more straightforward. Following on from last year’s time-constrained writing exercise ‘One Day’, here the Toronto-headquartered band return to the direct sound of their early years, finding something fresh to say in rapid-fire songs that are both joyful and explosive.
The star of the show is undoubtedly vocalist Damian Abraham. As ever, his throaty style is delivered with exhausting gusto, playing off effects-laden guitars and furious percussion.
The opening run of tracks, beginning with the frenetic Face, flow with effortless vibrancy. Stimming has Abraham singing about the joyful, soothing release of musical performance and later, on Tell Yourself You Will, his roars meet a soaring riff for a chest-thumping, earwormy highpoint.
There is interesting tension on the almost nihilistic Paternal Instinct, where a bleak-but-infectious refrain — “We’re the ones that’ll burn it all down” — achieves a sort of fist-pumping defiance. Divining Gods offers a delightful contrast by moving the lyrical theme towards society’s worship of false idols: “We’ll make our gods where we can find them.”
If we’re being picky a mid-point breather would’ve been welcome — to guard against weariness and allow the second half of ‘Another Day’ the chance to shine — but it’s not a big deal. This is another uplifting hardcore punk experience from musicians who can still go as hard as they did two decades ago.
Fucked Up Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
Mon October 21 2024 - CARDIFF Clwb Ifor Bach
Tue October 22 2024 - KINGSTON Fighting Cocks
Wed October 23 2024 - BIRMINGHAM Mama Roux's
Thu October 24 2024 - MILTON KEYNES Craufurd Arms
Fri October 25 2024 - OXFORD O2 Academy2 Oxford
Sat October 26 2024 - LONDON Oslo
Mon October 28 2024 - EDINBURGH Caves
Tue October 29 2024 - NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE Grove
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