Swipe

Wooden Nickel

With One Day, Fucked Up have delivered one of the most energizing and intricatealbums of their career, a massive-sounding record that arrives in deceptively smallconfines. The Canadian hardcore legends have been known for their epic scale in thepast, so it might be a surprise that Fucked Ups sixth studio album is their shortest todate, written and recorded in the confines of one literal day (hence the title). Dontmistake size for substance, though: The bands sound has only gotten bigger, morehard-charging, with even denser thickets of melody.

I wanted to see what I could record in literally one day. That singular idea cameto mind for guitarist Mike Haliechuk in the closing months of 2019. Haliechuk gothimself into a studio and proceeded to write and record the records ten tracks overthree eight-hour sessions, reconnecting with the core the bands songwriting essencein the process.

Initially, Fucked Up vocalist Damian Abraham was also set to complete his vocals insimilar fashionthat is, before the lockdowns of 2020 took place. As it turns out,the isolation yielded creative dividends, as Abraham returned to contributing lyricsas well for the first time since 2014s Glass Boys. It almost felt like it might be thelast time Id ever get to record vocals for anything, Abraham says of the stakes hefelt while putting his part to tape, before reflecting on how he approached the lyricalprocess: What do I want to say to friends who arent here anymore? What do I wantto say to myself?

Over swarms of tuneful noise that evoke Sonic Youth circa Daydream Nation,Abraham lets loose on gentrification in Lords of Kensington, which was inspiredby an incredible Toronto neighborhood that was regularly subject to life-ruiningpolice surveillance and structural violence. The police chief during that erahe justopened a cannabis store, Abraham explains. Its so cynical and gross, what societyhas come tobut by being in a band, were culpable in changing the neighborhood,too, since the punk spaces and cool happenings that pop up are part ofgentrification. Are you building a culture? Or are you ruining something thats alreadybeen there?

Then theres the dusky burn of Cicada, a sonic cousin to Dose Your Dreamsexcellent standout The One I Want Will Come for Me that features Haliechuktaking lead-vocal duty. The song is dedicated to lost friends, and in his words, itsabout what life is like after you lose people, and our responsibility to carry themforward into the future, using the things they taught us as a light. I like to imagine thesound of cicadas as a metaphor for our strange life in the subculturewe all just livethese weird little hidden lives under the dirt, and then once in a generation, one ofus gets to bust out of the dirt and intone their song so loud that it can be heard allover.

One Day is an undeniable work of confidence from a band that continues to operateat the top of their game, making music thats guaranteed to last a lifetime and beyond.

With One Day, Fucked Up have delivered one of the most energizing and intricatealbums of their career, a massive-sounding record that arrives in deceptively smallconfines. The Canadian hardcore legends have been known for their epic scale in thepast, so it might be a surprise that Fucked Ups sixth studio album is their shortest todate, written and recorded in the confines of one literal day (hence the title). Dontmistake size for substance, though: The bands sound has only gotten bigger, morehard-charging, with even denser thickets of melody.

I wanted to see what I could record in literally one day. That singular idea cameto mind for guitarist Mike Haliechuk in the closing months of 2019. Haliechuk gothimself into a studio and proceeded to write and record the records ten tracks overthree eight-hour sessions, reconnecting with the core the bands songwriting essencein the process.

Initially, Fucked Up vocalist Damian Abraham was also set to complete his vocals insimilar fashionthat is, before the lockdowns of 2020 took place. As it turns out,the isolation yielded creative dividends, as Abraham returned to contributing lyricsas well for the first time since 2014s Glass Boys. It almost felt like it might be thelast time Id ever get to record vocals for anything, Abraham says of the stakes hefelt while putting his part to tape, before reflecting on how he approached the lyricalprocess: What do I want to say to friends who arent here anymore? What do I wantto say to myself?

Over swarms of tuneful noise that evoke Sonic Youth circa Daydream Nation,Abraham lets loose on gentrification in Lords of Kensington, which was inspiredby an incredible Toronto neighborhood that was regularly subject to life-ruiningpolice surveillance and structural violence. The police chief during that erahe justopened a cannabis store, Abraham explains. Its so cynical and gross, what societyhas come tobut by being in a band, were culpable in changing the neighborhood,too, since the punk spaces and cool happenings that pop up are part ofgentrification. Are you building a culture? Or are you ruining something thats alreadybeen there?

Then theres the dusky burn of Cicada, a sonic cousin to Dose Your Dreamsexcellent standout The One I Want Will Come for Me that features Haliechuktaking lead-vocal duty. The song is dedicated to lost friends, and in his words, itsabout what life is like after you lose people, and our responsibility to carry themforward into the future, using the things they taught us as a light. I like to imagine thesound of cicadas as a metaphor for our strange life in the subculturewe all just livethese weird little hidden lives under the dirt, and then once in a generation, one ofus gets to bust out of the dirt and intone their song so loud that it can be heard allover.

One Day is an undeniable work of confidence from a band that continues to operateat the top of their game, making music thats guaranteed to last a lifetime and beyond.

673855080123

More Info:

With One Day, Fucked Up have delivered one of the most energizing and intricatealbums of their career, a massive-sounding record that arrives in deceptively smallconfines. The Canadian hardcore legends have been known for their epic scale in thepast, so it might be a surprise that Fucked Ups sixth studio album is their shortest todate, written and recorded in the confines of one literal day (hence the title). Dontmistake size for substance, though: The bands sound has only gotten bigger, morehard-charging, with even denser thickets of melody.

I wanted to see what I could record in literally one day. That singular idea cameto mind for guitarist Mike Haliechuk in the closing months of 2019. Haliechuk gothimself into a studio and proceeded to write and record the records ten tracks overthree eight-hour sessions, reconnecting with the core the bands songwriting essencein the process.

Initially, Fucked Up vocalist Damian Abraham was also set to complete his vocals insimilar fashionthat is, before the lockdowns of 2020 took place. As it turns out,the isolation yielded creative dividends, as Abraham returned to contributing lyricsas well for the first time since 2014s Glass Boys. It almost felt like it might be thelast time Id ever get to record vocals for anything, Abraham says of the stakes hefelt while putting his part to tape, before reflecting on how he approached the lyricalprocess: What do I want to say to friends who arent here anymore? What do I wantto say to myself?

Over swarms of tuneful noise that evoke Sonic Youth circa Daydream Nation,Abraham lets loose on gentrification in Lords of Kensington, which was inspiredby an incredible Toronto neighborhood that was regularly subject to life-ruiningpolice surveillance and structural violence. The police chief during that erahe justopened a cannabis store, Abraham explains. Its so cynical and gross, what societyhas come tobut by being in a band, were culpable in changing the neighborhood,too, since the punk spaces and cool happenings that pop up are part ofgentrification. Are you building a culture? Or are you ruining something thats alreadybeen there?

Then theres the dusky burn of Cicada, a sonic cousin to Dose Your Dreamsexcellent standout The One I Want Will Come for Me that features Haliechuktaking lead-vocal duty. The song is dedicated to lost friends, and in his words, itsabout what life is like after you lose people, and our responsibility to carry themforward into the future, using the things they taught us as a light. I like to imagine thesound of cicadas as a metaphor for our strange life in the subculturewe all just livethese weird little hidden lives under the dirt, and then once in a generation, one ofus gets to bust out of the dirt and intone their song so loud that it can be heard allover.

One Day is an undeniable work of confidence from a band that continues to operateat the top of their game, making music thats guaranteed to last a lifetime and beyond.

Reviews:

Pack Shot

back to top