A fierce blend of contrasting textures

Fucked Up is a punk group from Toronto, Canada that formed in 2001. The five-piece band currently consists of Damian Abraham, Mike Haliechuk, Josh Zucker, Sandy Miranda and Jonah Falco. The members dropped their most recent LP, One Day, on January 27.

There’s no better way to kick off a hardcore punk album than with a mighty scream, and that’s exactly what happens after pressing play on “Found,” the first track from One Day. Soon after, a screeching electric ax harmonizes with Abraham as a prominent part of the melody, and Falco hammers out some low-toned beats. While the band produces compelling relationships between instruments here, the track’s lyricism and theme deserve recognition.

The lyrics of “Found” don’t hold back. Fucked Up uses their music to criticize “a country founded on genocide.” The band specifically calls out how “temples of police and landlords” were built on stolen land. Not only do the lyrics hold powerful themes, but this tune includes some especially poetic imagery and rhymes: “The creeks run like ghosts in the basement, Still alive coursing their displacement.” Instrumentation such as some hardcore guitar solos against a pulsing eerie tone help depict the description’s haunting atmosphere.

Title track “One Day” is the eighth song to appear on the album. Kicking off with a groovy guitar riff, the song then plunges into raspy vocals. Abraham’s scratchy tone creates a contrast against the tune’s smoother instrumentation. Additionally, softer background vocals blend naturally with said instrumentation. With so much going on, the richly layered track starts to feel jumbled, but as a controlled type of chaos. The punk-esque shouting is more than just volume and quality; passion and pain lie behind his voice, which in itself adds depth to the song. While the singing is indeed quite gruff, “One Day” features some sweet lyrics about falling in love, such as “When suddenly you look at me, you opened up eternity, two hearts on either side turned into each other.” Though yelled, at its core the song is actually quite gentle.

One Day is fierce and sometimes wild, but also somewhat deliberative. Fucked Up uses this album to blend varying tones and textures, as rugged vocalization meets swirling harmonies and slick percussion. In theme, One Day features some heartwarming pieces, with timid lyrics delivered by Abraham’s growl. Each instrument has an individual voice, and as a result, they forge captivating paths to come together.