Storming back from a four year hiatus, Southern California punk band FIDLAR have just released their new EP ‘That’s Life’. The six-track EP features Centipede, FSU, Sand On The Beach, and their brand new single On Drugs, a haywire song that feels as though it could hurtle out of control at any moment with mangled feedback glitches and reality-questioning refrains like the Basement-Jaxx-inspired “where’s your head at?”. You can listen to ‘That’s Life’ here and a limited edition vinyl pressing of the EP will also be available this spring here. Listen to On Drugs via YouTube below.
As their first official project since 2019’s ‘ALMOST FREE,’ the EP represents a journey for the trio comprised of Zac Carper, Max Kuehn, and Brandon Schwartzel. In the midst of a time when in-person contact was minimized, let alone live concerts were being played and pits were being circled on the floors of sweaty venues, the band found themselves thrust into their next chapter while looking for a way to harness the frenzied, care-free energy that has defined their shows and identity since forming over a decade ago. On a search for some shred of enlightenment in 2020, the earliest seeds of ‘That’s Life’ were planted with a trip; both literally and figuratively. Powered by psychedelics and caravanning with friends throughout the West and East Coasts, Mexico, Hawaii and beyond, Carper’s lyrics for the EP poured out during a DMT ceremony in Lake Powell. Lyrics that realize there is no heal-all enlightenment, and there are no answers. There is, however, an exuberance in sharing real human connections – both good and bad – and a peace in shouting fuck it when faced with the immutable chaos of life.
Together, the trio made ‘That’s Life’ into a collection of songs that are back-to-basics, yet larger than FIDLAR’s ever sounded before. Loud, feral, and primed to be ignited on stage, the band teamed up with recording legend Dave Sardy (Spoon, LCD Soundsystem, Red Hot Chili Peppers) to record the EP at the famed Shangri-La in Malibu, CA. ‘That’s Life’ – a title that’s borrowed from a tattoo inspired by a skate video – is the new era of FIDLAR, and yet the truest version of themselves they’ve ever been. It’s a middle finger to the concept of taking life too seriously, and taking the simplicities of life for granted. See below for complete track-listing information:
‘That’s Life’ track listing
- Centipede
- On Drugs
- Sand on the Beach
- FSU
- Taste the Money
- That’s Life
First teasing the release of ‘That’s Life’ last August with FSU, the band electrified fans around the world & garnered acclaim from the likes of SPIN, THE FADER, FLOOD Magazine, Hypebeast, Loudwire, and Consequence, who called the track “explosive, hyper aggressive and perfectly dumb.” Abrasive in all the right ways, FSU combines frontman Carper’s point-blank-as-ever lyricism with walls of instrumentation that crash and recede like violent waves, making for a brutally truthful 2 minutes of shouting the void. The track arrived alongside an aptly chaotic accompanying music video directed by longtime collaborator Ryan Baxley, which features the band bloodied, bruised and feral as they tear at raw steak with their teeth and hand-poke tattoos.
On the heels of several sold-out shows this past fall in Los Angeles, New York and more – FIDLAR recently hit the road in support of the EP to do what they do best once again: fuck shit up and play gnarly sets. The group is performing at Shaky Knees Festival in Atlanta this spring. Following raucous back-to-back nights at The Fonda Theater in Los Angeles last fall, New Noise Magazine stated that “if these insanely fun comeback shows and their pummeling new music are any indication, the next phase in the FIDLAR cinematic universe is poised to be rad as hell.” A complete list of upcoming tour dates can be found below, and tickets can be purchased via the band’s site here.
FIDLAR – 2023 TOUR DATES
May 4th, 2023 – Metro Chicago – Chicago, IL
May 5th, 2023 – Shaky Knees Festival 2023 – Atlanta, GA
May 6th, 2023 – The Earl (Shaky Knees Presents) – Atlanta, GA*
*Sold-out
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