FIDLAR

FIDLAR - FIDLAR
Critic Score
Based on 24 reviews
2013 Ratings: #347 / 1115
User Score
Based on 210 ratings
2013 Rank: #242
Liked by 15 people
January 22, 2013 / Release Date
LP / Format
- / Label
Garage Rock / Genre
Sign In to rate and review

CRITIC REVIEWS

90
DIY

With its Ramones-via-The Golden State garage punk, it's brilliantly noisy in all the best places and yet not afraid to tone down on occasion.

90
The Fly

Oozing more nihilistic youthful abandonment than anyone since Black Lips, their manifesto sounds pretty appealing from here.

83
Pretty Much Amazing

Each track on their excellent self-titled debut is a bubbly slice of smart, spare, moshpit-ready pop-punk that’ll earworm its way into your brain within three seconds of your pressing play

80
Consequence of Sound

Of the 14 tracks here, 85% of them contain searing hooks that’re both passionate and catchy; after one or two listens, you’ll have them memorized

80
The 405

There are mammoth earworms, snazzy hooks and adrenalin-fuelled sprints of kinetic guitar, draped over relentless rhythms that demand your attention and that you sacrifice your body to the music.

80
NME

Consistently on-point, the only thing that lets the record down is the failure to include last year’s brilliantly bratty Kate Nash collaboration ‘Awkward’. 

76
Paste

FIDLAR have done their homework on punk, and know this is just how it starts, that eventually they will grow up. 

75
Under the Radar

FIDLAR is a punk-spirited rock & roll record whose original source material is alive and a millimeter below its vinyl surface.

70
musicOMH

In an age where music can often take itself too seriously, Fidlar’s crazed, and often anti-melodic, meanderings about drugs, alcohol and being young are refreshing.

70
PopMatters

FIDLAR’s debut isn’t going to reshape anyone’s idea of what is possible with guitars, but it shows how fun they can be

70
Pitchfork

While there's a definite lineage and history here, the quartet's self-titled debut is about today-- being young, broke, drunk, ecstatic, and not worrying too much about what happens next.

65
Beats Per Minute

There’s no real depth to these songs, but sometimes surface is all you need–not to mention every single track is catchy as heck.

60
No Ripcord

So it goes with the thematically one-note FIDLAR, which lumps together the irresponsible hijinks of four skate punks that are fueled with determination, but don’t have the smarts to convert their tedium into something compelling.

Rob
78

Love the amount of hooks and catchiness of it all. I'm not sure what else they'll be able to offer, but this is an impressive debut.

DarkCat
68

(Analbumaday Day 102)

Pretty solid garage rock album, not a genre I’m huge on but it’s decently entertaining. A lot of it does just feel pretty standard and unmemorable, but I think it improves towards the end of the album. Not very impressed by the vocals but it sounded passionate and experienced, the instrumentals all around were fine, that’s pretty much it.

Z.Younk
84

Saw them perform it live in 2013 with Wavves, and Cheetahs opening. The taste of 80's teen-angst punk like Descendants and Circle Jerks, even peppering in some Ramones sensibilities and a truly authentic don't-give-a-fuck attitude make it the perfect soundtrack for living in the moment and throwing caution to the wind.

Carma27
74

Song Ratings:

1. Cheap Beer - 8/10
2. Stoked and Broke - 8/10
3. White on White - 9/10
4. No Waves - 8/10
5. Whore - 8.5/10
6. Max Can't Surf - 8/10
7. Blackout Stout - 7/10
8. Wake Bake Skate - 4/10
9. Gimme Something - 7.5/10
10. 5 to 9 - 8.5/10
11. LDA - 6/10
12. Paycheck - 6/10
13. Wait for the Man - 7/10
14. Cocaine - 8.5/10

Overall - 7.4/10

Bonus Track Ratings:

1. I'm Going Nowhere - 10/10
2. Shitty Jobz - 8/10

Review:

This is a pretty decent start for FIDLAR as there's a lot of ... read more

bandplo
71

found this band when listening to "cocaine" on the gta v radio, and i'm only now listening to the rest of this album. basically it's edgy music for edgy teens who will relisten to it 6-8 years later and remember how cringey they were... and i'm still an "edgy" teen for now which means i still like it, it's not bad.

Cyanaid
84

I’m surprised it’s taken me this long to give this album a proper listen. This sounds exactly like what I would want a surf punk album to sound like. There’s so much energy here from the shouting vocals to the fast instrumentals. They’re having so much fun here that it’s impossible to not have it run off on you.

There are a couple tracks I’m not completely sold on. No waves was the song I knew of before listening to this album, and I do enjoy it in a vacuum, ... read more

Purchasing FIDLAR from Amazon helps support Album of the Year. Or consider a donation?


Added on: October 9, 2012