Fidlar 'Too' album review

Image: Fidlar at Reading Festival

It's been two years since LA garage punk outfit Fidlar released their self-titled collection of drugged up tales about cheap beer and the simple matter of getting fucked up.

Upon the release of their sophomore effort Too, it would come as no surprise that the band had had yet to sober up from their debut stretch of debauchery, or at least the come down will have kicked in by now.

Flying the flag for the new wave of skate-punk, it's none of those things, but rather a reflection of the transition between drug addiction and rehab for band member Zac Carper. 

Fidlar have seen a new light, recording with a producer in a studio for the first time to meet the demands of the modern age. 

Strung with more depth and invention this time around, delve into the cavities of the album and it's a dark listen. Laden with blunt edged hooks, '40oz On Repeat' is capable of toppling the walls of pop-punk single handedly.

'West Coast' recalls a coked up pilgrimage between Seattle and Portland, plugging more energy than your neighbours new solar panel system could handle.   

'Sober' signals a melancholic turning point; "life just sucks when you get sober" sing the band, who still manage to humour a heated narrative: "And still treat you like a princess/But what about me?/I'm a fucking princess too/So treat me like one."

'Leave Me Alone' runs on an elevating guitar riff; 'Drone' and 'Bad Medicine' bare the brute force of punk rock, outing the album's manic credentials when transferred to the live stage.

Poignant moments encapsulate slower burners 'Overdose', 'Stupid Decisions' and 'Bad Habits'. The verse "I just wish that I was dead" brings suicidal thoughts to the former. 

It's punk revitalised, a firm demonstration that Fidlar are more than the wasted youth they were perceived as in their infancy.

Too is a juxtaposing mish-mash of deeply personal chapters, merged with rip-roaring guitar riffs and whopping hooks to form an incandescent signal of intent from your newest favourite punk band if they weren't already.     

Read our review of Foals 'What Went Down'