The late D. Boon of
the Minutemen once said, "Punk is whatever we made it to be," and no band that has emerged since the turn of the century has taken that message to heart like
Fucked Up.
Fucked Up's musical and philosophical roots are deep in hardcore punk, but they've never allowed the accepted boundaries of the genre to rein them in. Musically,
Fucked Up still believe in the power of a big guitar and a howling voice, but they're aesthetic polytheists, with elements of prog rock, indie rock, experimental music, psychedelia, electronics, and dance music all informing 2018's
Dose Your Dreams. Easily the band's most ambitious work to date (no small statement given their catalog),
Dose Your Dreams is a sprawling two-disc set that follows the story of David Eliade (the protagonist of 2011's concept album
David Comes to Life) as he loses his low-level office job, meets a homeless conjurer named Joyce Tops, and is sent on a journey of discovery that's physical, psychological, and spiritual in nature. The flow of the album's larger narrative isn't always clear, but each individual selection is a compelling and challenging story in itself, and it coheres into a whole bigger than the sum of the parts. And musically,
Dose Your Dreams is a truly remarkable ride, with
Fucked Up traveling in directions even their most loyal fans might not expect, including languid atmospheric pop ("Two I's Closed"), buzzy industrial rhythms ("Mechanical Bull"), burly rave-friendly psychedelia ("Talking Pictures"), and even the cool but insistent pulse of disco (the title track). While these elements are filtered through the towering guitars of Mike Haliechuk, the explosive drumming of Jonah Falco, the rock-solid bass work of Sandy Miranda, and (usually) the feral howl of Damian Abraham, all the songs on
Dose Your Dreams manage to have distinct personalities of their own that still sound like facets of
Fucked Up's sonic mindset, no matter how far they stray from their hardcore roots. Just as D. Boon and his bandmates turned
the Minutemen's
Double Nickels on the Dime into an epic journey through their nearly endless musical possibilities,
Fucked Up have done something very similar with
Dose Your Dreams, creating a work of passion and creative daring that once again reminds us
Fucked Up are not just a great punk band, they're a great band that acknowledges no creative borders. It's probably premature to call
Dose Your Dreams Fucked Up's masterpiece, but most bands would be very lucky to make something this daring and accomplished once in their careers, let alone twice. ~ Mark Deming