Fidlar - Too 

Californian skate/surf punks FIDLAR tore the world a new one with their self-titled debut, piling their way through drug references and slacker mantras. Their follow up, Too, has them aiming for greater quality in their sound and inevitably has them railing lyrically against sobriety.

What made their debut so good was going in blind, you weren’t expecting big things and neither were they. The result was a reckless, blaise attitude, much of which has carried over to this album. The upgrade in sound however, goes against that but they still seem to be able to create great scuzzy riffs and a sense of being a sweaty dead-beat. It’s actually exhilarating to imagine completely letting go - like being on a weekend bender indefinitely.

One thing you’ll notice which is slightly different on this album is the increase in references to sobriety and the rejection of such a thing. ‘Sober’ is partly spoken word, a retort to a partner who is clearly too high maintenance - there’s real menace in these parts and the chorus of “I figured out when I got older that life just sucks when you get sober” tells you all you need to know about the band.

Being a pacey, surf-punk album there is plenty to get you in the mood for driving, fighting and sticking it to the man. ‘Overdose’ is the only dark, bleak track, but shows that the band have contemplated the darker side to such a lifestyle, while ‘Stupid Decisions’ and ‘Bad Habits’ also show a lean towards examining their problems - despite owning it with “I’ve got bad habits, but they’re my bad habits”.

The riffs on this album are more thought out, with grunge, blues and classic sunny-california guitar styles being trotted out; it’s just a shame they don’t have a more confident, competent soloist. A slightly different animal, it was inevitable that the band - having now realised that people like their music and will analyse it - would become self-aware. This slightly distorts the purity of thinking but gives them more room to play.