FIDLAR

iTunes Editors’ Notes

What might you expect from an L.A. band in which two members are sons of '80s punker Greg Kuehn (from T.S.O.L.) and whose name is an acronym for a skater slogan? And, for good measure, a band whose debut LP opens with a two-and-a-half-minute rager ("Cheap Beer") that recalls Black Flag? Now take that expectation and put a little twist on it: throw in some Best Coast, a dash of Ty Segall, and filter it all through a stinky, stained Wavves t-shirt. Voila! You've got Fidlar and a damn good time. Echoes of greasy garage punk ("Stoked and Broke," "LDA") and squalling reverb abuse ("White on White") shove up against drunken hootenanny punk ("Gimmie Something") and roiling surf punk ("Max Can't Surf," "Blackout Stout"). Psych-blues simmer through "Paycheck" and the deliciously serpentine "Cocaine." Singer Zac Carper muses on a hard-partying life in "No Waves"; then his thoughts are washed away by the tune's speedy, upbeat shots of guitar riffage, and he's shrugging off the worry. Good times, boys, and we thank you for it. Just don't do anything stupid; we'd like another record.