FIDLAR - Almost Free (Album Review)

It's been over three years since the release of Fidlar's "Too" and I honestly think the break has helped the band develop and craft their sounds into this fun, catchy punk album that glows and simmers with a raw energy that is so well executed in terms of the instrumentation and, whilst the production can be quite flakey, the tunes shine through and there are some genuine, honest standouts among the tracklisting.

This is not an album I planned to review for multiple reasons: 1. I'm not particularly familiar with the band's previous material, 2. I'd only partially enjoyed the two singles that I'd heard and 3. The band have had some mixed reception so I had no expectations or preconceptions going into it, other than a mild interest at what could be on the album after hearing the pretty wonderful house beat on "By Myself". I conceded that it was worth a listen just to satisfy my curiosity, even if there wasn't much hope of any other experimentation.

I was definitely partially right, pretty much all the other songs are theatrical but typical modern punk music, thankfully more in the indie than pop vein in spite of some stonking hooks and catchy choruses, although lots of the songs do explore other musical styles and elements, most notably in the groovy, blues rock basslines and the throaty, funky brass sections that find a place on many of the songs, rather surprisingly frequently I think. Although there is so much of a musical shift away from loud, mosh-pit ready guitar punk I find that the themes in the lyrics follow on from "Too" with lots of drink and drug references as well as anger-fuelled venting but also some pretty quaint introspection all wrapped up in flowery, metaphorical lyrics. Yeah, I'm kidding. The lyrics here are blunt, explicit, declarations with simple descriptions that add to the honest, raw feel that the band are going for and completing succeed in delivering. Fidlar are perhaps best known for their lyrics and that's probably the "glue" component that sticks the songs together, particularly when there's something like the bluesy "Can't You See" next to the housy "By Myself", probably the moment with the greatest contrast.

This album reminds me of IceAge's "Beyondless", one of the best albums of last year, in that it transitioned a harder punk band into alt rock with blues-tinged grooves and theatrical brass flares all building up to a grand sounding, epic release. With Fidlar though, there is a factor of fun that seems fundamental to recognising that this is still the same band, even if the tunes are less conventional and guitar-driven.

Kicking everything off with the stonking "Get Off My Rock" with its aggressive lyrics and whiny guitar post-chorus seems an effective and obvious move - it's far from the best on the album but it's a strong opener and sets the mood straight away by getting you to focus on the lyrics over everything else, clearly the band's desired point of interest as on every song it is the vocals at the forefront of the mix, usually for good as they're the access point for many people when jumping aboard the Fidlar hype train.

The single "Can't You See" is a fantastic and very melodic point on the album that displays probably the poppiest side of the band with infectiously catchy hooks and a White Stripes-esque guitar line. This is starkly contrasted by the experimental "By Myself", an overambitious song that attempts to combine punk with house but ends up tacking on a rather lightweight, generic beat that gets too muddled up with the rest of the instrumental and results in an overcluttered sound that can be blamed 100% on the mixing, a problem I think is present on lots of the songs here but particularly noticeable and detrimental on this song. Still, the song has some strong lyrics and it's not a total failure by any means and it stands out on the tracklist just for being so different.

There are a few pretty fantastic, punk-leaning moments that utilise guitars more prominently, like the distorted "Flake" and lead single "Alcohol", the former a rather intricate song that's grown on me a lot since my first listen whilst the latter is slightly more blunt and brutish in its delivery, not quite landing the same despite having a huge chorus and awesome raw instrumentation. In contrast to these is the more acoustic-ballad-rock "Called You Twice", a pretty clichéd millennial breakup anthem that shouldn't work as well as it does, with K.Flay's feature really lifting the song with some pleasing, very clean vocals that really compliment Zac Carper's and further outline the quite pathetic and hopeless relationship that the song talks about.

I think the closer "Good Times Are Over", whilst the most musically and lyrically simple songs, really hits with a very 90s alternative feel that I suspect was a mixture of inspirations from Nirvana and Blur which packs a bigger punch than a lot of the more complex songs on the album because it doesn't overcomplicate, it just says what it needs to and delivers a powerful, emotional song that is definitely a highpoint for me.

Overall, Fidlar have made a really fun, musically explorative and accomplishing album, easily one of my favourite of the year with its strong writing, memorable melodies and open, engaging lyrics. Although the production doesn't always help emphasise the right parts of the songs, mostly due to the mixing, the vocals are always right where they should be: Zac leading every song with his expressive and enjoyable voice. The drumming is thankfully organic and effortlessly supports the tracks with really enjoyable rhythms. Their poppier side shines through and there are enough great guitar lines to keep fans satisfied, even if there is a lack of anything substantially heavier. For me, "Almost Free" gets a strong 8 out of 10, probably the best release of the week and a highlight of the month.

Best Songs:
Can't You See, Flake, Called You Twice, Too Real, Kick, Good Times Are Over

Worst Song/s:
By Myself

"Almost Free"

FIDLAR

25/01/2019