The loud, garagey, rock ‘n’ roll sounds of FIDLAR hit you like that first rip of weed you took during class in the bathroom at high school. Raised on early 80s west coast punk, Zac Carper and Elvis Kuehn write trashy nuggets with a melodic CCR sensibility. Based in LA, where they record demos and make weird YouTube videos for every song they have, these dudes blend the brattiness of Redd Kross and the party mentality of Black Lips to form their own sound that is FIDLAR.
Band members Elvis Kuehn, Zac Carper, Max Kuehn and Brandon Schwartzel have certainly done their punk rock homework, with any given song featuring Germs influenced guitar solos, the catchy ”Ooo’s” and “Ah’s” of The Misfits and lyrics in the same family as Black Flag’s Six Pack and TV Party – while still coming across entirely as themselves: Surfier, Faster, more fuzzed out, more personal and a lot more drunk.
Elvis and Max, whose father Greg was a member of 80’s punk band T.S.O.L., cite skateboarding culture as an influence on their sound – in fact the band’s name (which stands for “Fuck It Dog, Life’s A Risk”) was a phrase Zac gleaned from some skater kids he lived with.
While they only have a short history, the band has toured extensively, including playing Lollapalooza, Delta Spirit and with fellow compatriots-in-party JEFF the Brotherhood.
FIDLAR’s debut self titled album will be out on the 1st of Feb and you’ll be able to hear it as the feature album all next week on triple j
