FUCKED UP
epics in minutes cd
(DY53)

For those unfamiliar with the band, they have 5 singles out already, a split 7" with Haymaker on the way, along with a full length in the not so distant future. They are from Toronto, feature Jonah from Career Suicide and Mike from Ruination. A good number of the tracks found on the cd have appeared on vinyl in one shape or another but this cd features a number of previously unreleased mixes, demo tracks and part of a radio set. The whole project was remastered by boy genius Jon Drew who was responsible for making 'Police' so damn devastating in the first place. Tracks are: Color Removal, *What Could've Been, *Baiting the Public, Last Man Standing, *Litany, Police, *Circling the Drain, *Reset the Ride, A Light that Never Comes On, Generation, Red, Dance of Death, CIUT Radio Set, and Demo. *previously unreleased mixes

MP3

"reset the ride"

AVAILABILITY: In Press

PRESSING INFO

1000

REVIEWS

From SLUG & LETTUCE #80
Have you heard the hype surrounding this band? Have you heard people talk about how Toronto's FUCKED UP are going to save punk rock with their brand of Killed By Death style punk rock & roll? Have you heard about the live shows, about the raspy throat scraping vocals and the twin guitar attack delivered through lo-fi amps that sound perfect? Have you heard the hype? If you are like me, then when you first hear FUCKED UP, you will be prepared to hate it, to react against the hoopla and FIND things wrong with them. If you are like me, when you go to see FUCKED UP live, you will stand in the back and prepare your sour face to be sorely disappointed. You will want the infectious rock (and dare I say "groove"?) to have no effect on you whatsoever, and you will get ready to leave early, baffled at how all of the punk rock elite can get so damn excited over some shitty band from Toronto. But if you are like me, then after two songs, you will be up front, covered in sweat rocking out like an idiot. And if you are like me, then soon even the horns at the end of the "Baiting the Public" ep will sound fucking perfect, and you will tell everyone how this is the band that is going to save punk rock. And if you were turned off by the 2 songs Eps (as I was), then youÕre in luck, as all 5 singles are included here along with demo tracks and another gem or two. The urgency of early BLACK FLAG mixed with the songwriting sensibilities of Belgium's THE KIDS. Yeah, I tried, but FUCKED UP are just too good.

MRR #252
Okay, let's face some facts, FUCKED UP are perfect. Everyone of their releases is a perfect slice of piss'n'vinegar fueled snarling, stomping punk rock; each record a vicious, relentless blast of rage. Seriously. Listening to this band makes me feel the same way I did at age twelve and hearing BLACK FLAG or the mighty POISON IDEA for the first time - and when the first strands of "The Police" or "Baiting the Public" comes roaring out of my speakers - fuck, words can barely even describe it - like your whole world is just blown apart. Simple, raw, unbridled rage against a world filled with shit. Fuck. This CD compiles their previous EP releases for those of you who value convenience and mass consumption - plus tracks off a radio show and their demo. I remain in awe of this band.

Deepfriedbonanza
Anyone who's talked to me about hardcore in the past six months or so has probably heard me raving about Toronto's Fucked Up. As soon as I heard two of their songs online, the epic, all-time classics "Police" and "Circling the Drain" I was hooked and had to have everything by these guys. If you haven't heard the band (and there's no excuse, really, since there are several mp3s on Deranged Records' web site) they play a super-unique style of hardcore. In fact, it's so unique that it really isn't that easy to describe interms of reference/influence, but if you can wrap your brain around the idea of Last Rights (i.e. Choke's band before Negative FX and Slapshot) mixed with old, Dangerhouse Records-style LA punk like the Dils and X you're on the way to understanding what Fucked Up are about. Sure, you'll recognize the sandpaper vocals of hardcore and the (ver) occasional part that sounds either "thrashy" or "moshy," but Fucked Up's songwriting is all about the song, not the dance floor.

One of the coolest things about Fucked Up's discography is the fact that, heretofore, all of their vinyl releases (aside from a couple of comps) have been on two- or three-song singles with very retro-looking artwork that can't help but remind the rabid record collector of the artistic achievements that were those early Dangerhouse singles (and if you want to know more about Dangerhouse, click here). Their latest, the recently-released "Dance of Death" is no different, but musically it does take a slight turn away from the immediately catchy songwriting that has characterized most of Fucked Up's material to date.

Sure, the two tracks that appear here are still very melodic, but they're not quite the instant classics that "Police," "Circling the Drain" and "Baiting the Public" were; as I said before, those are the songs that caused me to immediately drop everything and find everything this band has done to date. That said, I don't think that "Dance of Death" will be disappointing any of Fucked Up's established fanbase; if you've already heard this band I know that you want this and you should get it right away and play it to fucking death. However, if you're still not hip to what may very well be the greatest hardcore statement of our time (a bold statement, for sure, but one that Fucked Up's music definitely backs up) start with their earlier singles and work your way forward to this still-great disc.

Short, Fast, and Loud
People just don't seem to get this band at all. In Fucked Up reviews you consistently see two things mentioned, "it sounds like Negative Approach" and "this record's too short." OK, first, I don't hear any Negative Approach whatsoever in this band and secondly, that the records are so short is really no big deal; I'm sure most of you regularly stop listening to 7's you like half way through side a because after the initial few minutes, not a whole lot happens. Fucked Up are probably one of the most song orientated bands (i.e., they aren't a collection of riffs to get from a to b) the hardcore scene has had for a long time and I can happily restart their records several times in a row, they're that good, they write songs that well.

They definitely seem to be moving away from the faster numbers they did in their early days and seem to have started settling down into a more mid-tempo, anthemic writing mind set, though Municipal Pricks, on the B Side of Police, still manages to hurry by at a good rate.

These songs are deceptively simple, and I mean REALLY simple, so simple you barely even notice it. It's pretty much verse/ chorus/ bridge/ verse/ chorus and the band are more than happy to play single note bridges and two note main riffs, yet they do it incredibly well. They don't shy away from almost blatantly recycling their own riffs either (kinda like The Ramones of hardcore). What stops the simplicity of the music becoming quickly boring is three things.

First, they have a really weird strumming style and when playing a one chord bridge can make it sound much more involved than it really is, second, they have these very simple melodic flourishes, not quite solos, that seemingly come and go at random and really pad out the songs. These flourishes really bring to mind a lot of KBD and New Wave bands, but played within a distinctly hardcore framework. I think it gives them an edge that makes them sound partially like The Nerves, especially on Baiting The Public, played by hardcore kids (before that song turns into an almost Krautrock jam) with an occasional simplified early Zounds (first 7") thing going on.

The third, and the main thing that keeps that to mind keeps them grounded in hardcore, is the vocals. Jerry A move over. Without any hyperbole, I truly believe Fucked Up have one of the greatest vocalists in hardcore today, strong sounding, great delivery and a fantastic presence, this guy really makes the songs.

Fucked Up are going to write an amazing album when they eventually get round to it and stop releasing a new 7" each month. Definitely a band that will be remembered and listened to in the future, watch in five years time as everyone "rediscovers" them.