Fucked Up is a band that comes once in a lifetime. Their ability to craft Iliad-esque narratives within their feverous tempos and growling vocals show a band carried by fearless creativity and their inability to settle. For years, they were the golden child of the Canadian punk underground, heralded as innovators for their approach to arranging punk tropes. Their high-octane guitar tempos are extended to prog-rock levels and their strong political stances are poeticized to reveal a level of musicianship that grows with each release.
On their latest album, One Day, the band took a different approach to the idea of a concept album than they have in the past. The name explains itself, the album was recorded in single 24-hour spurts despite some members recording their sections remotely. The idea came from guitarist Mike Hailechuck, whose own sections of the album deliver some of its best moments, at the end of 2019 and was inevitably put on the back burner for two years during the pandemic. Friday, January 27, One Day will grace us on the internet and despite it being one of their shortest albums, their feral-like energy continues to demand your attention for the full 40 minutes.
As soon as the needle drops on the opening track “Found”, you are shot out of a cannon and land deep in Fucked Up’s kaleidoscope psyche. The opening guitar section revs up like an old Chevy right before the full arrangement swells into an onslaught of harmonious punk. Much like past projects, the most gripping moments of the album come from the band’s unpredictable song structure. The band has built a reputation for weaving in elements of different styles of punk and whole different genres into their sound, One Day is no different. Right after the opening track comes in like a sucker punch, it is followed by the properly-named “I Think I Might Be Weird”. This off-kilter track opens in a juxtaposing way to “Found” with its soft string arrangement that creeps you into the rhythmic guitars that drive the song. The whole song culminates when it deconstructs itself into this beautiful bridge that leads the charge into a pop-punk melody that feels oddly cheery for a Fucked Up record, but what is a Fucked Up record if not just a little odd?
While the instrumentation of One Day is its driving factor, that does not discredit lead singer Damian Abraham’s work. It almost sounds like the vocalist is gurgling blood when delivering his signature aggression. These lyrics that are filled with high-level literary devices are filtered through the abrasive rasp of Abraham, what’s magical about his work on this latest project is the subtle beauty that seems to arrive when you least expect it. The way he harmonizes on “Cicada” or the way his gravel-drenched delivery seems to cut through more on songs like “Nothing’s Immortal” allows Abraham to cut through the hectic nature of these arrangements and provide a much-needed centerpiece for the album.
The term “Organize Chaos” has become somewhat of a trope for thrashing hardcore bands like Fucked Up, although the music they make is far from chaotic. There is no chaos on One Day, what we have here is a mellifluous collection of fiery punk records that melt and twist the self-aware poeticism of the album’s lyrics. Fucked Up created a quick yet furious reminder that their ability to bounce from one style of playing to the next is not a sign of indecisiveness, but a testament to their innate abilities and drive to push themselves creatively. 10 Day reminds us that the band is not all flash and concept albums, they can still string together a fiery, cohesive album that sizes up even their most grandiose narratives.
