FIDLAR is a skate punk/garage punk band from Los Angeles, California. The band is currently signed to Mom + Pop Music in the US,Wichita Recordings in the UK and Dine Alone Records in Canada.
The band's name is an acronym for 'Fuck It Dog, Life's A Risk', a skate mantra gleaned from singer Zac Carper's former roommates, or 'Forget It Dad, Life's All Right'. Originally, FIDLAR went under the name 'Fuck The Clock', as referenced in their song 'Cheap Beer'. Founding members Carper and Elvis Kuehn met while working at a recording studio in which Carper was employed as an engineer and Kuehn was an intern. The two started recording songs when the studio was empty and posting the finished products online. Three years after recording their first songs, they stepped on stage together with The Black Lips and went on tour with The Hives.
In 2012, FIDLAR were named one of Stereogum's '40 Best New Bands of 2012'.
Elvis Kuehn (guitar/vocals) and Max Kuehn (drums) are the sons of Greg Kuehn, keyboardist for Long Beach punk legends, T.S.O.L.. while Zac Carper (vocals/guitar) is the son of famed surfboard designer John Carper. Zac struggled with drug addiction and spent time in rehab for it, inspiring the song "No Waves." The bassist Brandon Schwartzel, is the half cousin of Elvis and Max, the four have been performing together as FIDLAR since 2009. Zac was born in Hawaii, while Elvis and Max are both from Los Angeles, and Brandon was born in San Diego.
'FIDLAR' is the debut studio album by California skate punk band FIDLAR, released January 1, 2013 through Dine Alone Records in Canada, January 22, 2013 through Mom + Pop Music in the US, and on February 1, 2013 through Wichita Recordings in the UK. The album peaked at No. 5 on Billboard magazine's Top Heatseekers chart.
Ahead of its official release, the album premiered on Pitchfork Media's Advance streaming service.
Ahead of its release, FIDLAR was named as one of 2013's most anticipated releases by TIME (magazine),The Huffington Post,Stereogum, and Consequence of Sound. At Metacritic, the album received an average score of 72 based on 27 critics, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".
All songs written by FIDLAR (Carper/Kuehn/Kuehn/Schwartzel)
There is a hidden track at the end of 'Cocaine' entitled 'Cheap Cocaine', which tells the story of how Zac Carper once lived in his car
Cold sweat, the summer's gone,
Wake up, nobody's home.
I got trouble my way, I guess I'm here to stay,
Somebody told me to leave ‘cause I ain't looking so great.
Somebody's running out, I'm shooting everything,
Until I saw on TV, why did I give it away?
Busted, now it's all about
Making, why you're coming around?
I got trouble my way, I guess I'm here to stay,
Somebody told me to leave ‘cause I ain't looking so great.
Somebody's running out, I'm shooting everything,