Fuzzrod – III
Rochester’s Fuzzrod is a no-nonsense kind of band. In a world full of twinkly and ethereal lo-fi beats to study and chill to, Fuzzrod’s latest EP, III, might function as the exact opposite. Sure, there’s a time and a place for mood music, but there’s no substitute for heading out to the Bug Jar on a Friday night and having your eardrums destroyed by a dimed Big Muff. Fuzzrod aims for a happy medium – produced by drummer Stephen Roessner (as always), III is a rare, fuzzed-out record that focuses on songwriting as much as its fun, punked-0ut live energy. It’s intentionally five (5) songs in length – a “healthy dose to support daily use” for those of us relegated to our nine to fives.
“Map of Outside” kicks off the album with a spitty guitar riff, spring-loaded with plenty of retro punk energy. The sludgy tones here are masterfully captured – it’s refreshing to hear a bevy of garage-rock tones that were lovingly recorded with intent. DIY energy and ethos is one thing, but Fuzzrod seem to have tapped into that perfect “band-in-a-room” sound without sacrificing any sort of recording quality. They keep up this energy on song two, “Ugly” with a lyrical juxtaposition of self-hatred and self-love:
“I’ve always been ugly
I should be used to it by now
Last to leave the party
Only cause I got kicked out
Everybody wants me
To shut up and go home
Everybody wants me
To leave them alone”
Lyrically, there’s lots to dive into on III, and aside from the mini-revolution vibes and devil-horn-inspiring energies, there are some really clever tongue-in-cheek satires here. The jaunty album highlight “Irondequoit Dads” takes aim at suburban bliss and complicity – sure, a Weber grill sounds nice, but have you ever played an original composition on stage to a crowd of hipsters drunk on PBR? Musicians – 1, dads – 0. “Home Depot Skeleton” takes a minute to get there, but the payoff is so tasty – at first an ostensibly sincere lament at growing older, Fuzzrod fills the proverbially empty void in the protagonist’s heart with a 12-foot-tall Halloween decoration.
Fuzzrod brings III home with one last bit of eff-you energy. Filled with the grimy bass and guitar tones you’ve come to love from this band, it’s an ode to show nights filled with beer, weed, and late-night driving. III is out now via Records of Choice (August 30th, 2024). Check it out via the Bandcamp embed below.
Categorised in: Album of the Week, Album Reviews, Rochester
This post was written by Nick Sessanna