Canadian hardcore punk band Fucked Up recently unveiled the third act for their newest album Year Of The Horse with Matt Berninger. The album, which has been releasing proportionally and is part of the band’s zodiac series, is available for pre-order now on Bandcamp. Three tracks are free for listeners, but the album in full will become immediately available for those who pre-order.

The new act, officially titled “Year of the Horse – Act Three,” is an unabashedly raucous 22-minute journey. There are innumerable breakdowns, switch-ups and climactic transitions awaiting listeners within. Fucked Up begins this third portion with simple piano progressions under an echoing vocal, but it soon evolves fluidly into a splendidly psychotic hardcore middle section. Razor sharp guitar chords and a thunderous climax become a distorted blend of noise and spoken word until the fervent final notes ring out. At the finish line, it becomes an undeniable fact that Fucked Up are at the top of their game with their latest, deluging longtime fans with sonic epics that are nothing if not elaborate but fastidious.

Matt Berninger, who is primarily known as the front man of indie rock band The National, was brought on for the track. His booming vocal can be heard in the late stages of the act when the string assortment swells in a manner not unlike The National’s signature melodramatic tension. Back in December, Berninger covered the Velvet Underground’s “Waiting for the Man.”

To catch up on the massive Year Of The Horse project and news on Fucked Up, check out our thoughts on its second act.

photo credit: Raymond Flotat