Fcukers – ‘Baggy$$’ EP review: a club-ready debut that demands to be played loud
THE SKINNY: This summer, we’ve seen artists like Charli XCX and The Dare bring club-ready hits out in frequent succession, their music dominating social media as young people have rallied to declare them the voices of a well-needed sleazy electronic revival. Singing about cheap drugs, sex, clubbing, and being simply untouchable, many listeners have lapped up these artists’ unashamedly bold and in-your-face approaches to songwriting.
Yet, emerging from the depths of New York’s underground club scene besides The Dare are newcomers Fcukers, who offer up clubby, danceable hits with a slightly different approach on their debut EP, Baggy$$. The trio, consisting of vocalist Shannon Wise, bassist and keyboardist Jackson Walker Lewis, and drummer Ben Scharf, are deeply inspired by 1990s house, yet the influence of a menagerie of genres, from alternative rock to trip-hop and soul, is weaved tightly into their musical DNA.
Wise’s voice – light and airy – is a perfect fit for the thick basslines that pulse through every song, contrasting the texture-laden electronics and Scharf’s tight, pounding drum beats with softness. The EP is six songs long, but it only takes one listen to opener ‘Bon Bon’ to find yourself ready to enter a sweaty club, sunglasses on, primed to dance into the early hours of the morning.
The song is practically perfect, beginning with an anticipatory intro that features instructions to take “five seconds to catch your breath” before launching into an insanely addictive thumping beat. There is something so euphoric about the relentless energy that bounces beneath Wise’s playful vocal performance, and when recorded, the song sounds just as good cranked up loud as it does when performed live.
The influence of ‘90s music doesn’t just stop at house, though. On ‘Homie Don’t Shake’, the band incorporate the riff of Beck’s ‘Devil’s Haircut’, a song they previously covered as ‘Devil’s Cut’. Adding extra grit to the iconic riff and accompanying it with a house-inspired drum beat and a steady bassline, Wise sings lyrics like “Champagne in my cornflakes” and “Tell your boss I need a raise,” which could easily become corny, but here, they slot into the party anthem just right. Playing with tempo and tension, the band builds towards a final explosion of instruments, ready to blast your speakers.
It’s hard to pick a standout song when each one rumbles with so much energy and infectiousness, but with ‘UMPA’, you wonder why it wasn’t released as a single. The repetitive male backing vocals spur the song forward, and Walker Lewis’ bass anchors it down. You’ll find it hard to stay still while listening to this one.
The band’s range is apparent on songs like ‘Heart Dub’ and ‘I Don’t Wanna’, with the latter particularly taking more influence from soulful R&B and trip-hop. It’s surprisingly cinematic, with its keys punctuating several seductive vocal layers: Wise’s defiant repetition of “I don’t wanna talk about…”, her ethereal backing vocals, and operatic melodies that float in the background.
As Baggie$$ comes to an end with ‘Tommy’, warped backing vocals welcome a mid-tempo number perfect for winding down a night. It’s upbeat enough to keep the momentum of a party going, but it doesn’t have the full-blown throttle of tracks like ‘Bon Bon’ and ‘Homie Don’t Shake’.
If Fcukers haven’t already been on your radar, it is almost certain that you’ll be hearing more of them in the coming months. With such a varied yet concise debut EP, the trio have teased the start of an exciting career that’ll no doubt see them selling out bigger venues in no time.
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