Fight Amp
Hungry for Nothing
Translation Loss
Slice and dice
It’s hard to tell just what the hell’s going on during Fight Amp’s full-length debut, a half hour of hazy AmRep worship that’ll prick the ears of anyone who digs Kylesa and the crustier, chunkier side of Melvins’ back catalogue. (As it turns out, Kylesa/Baroness producer Phillip Cope tracked the entire thing.) One thing’s for certain, though: The second “Bound and Hagged” kicks into high gear (right around the 0:42 mark) is the second this album goes from being a reverent, competent noise rock effort to kicking out the goddamn jams.
Seriously—this is the kind of cut that brings out the fist-pumping, floor-punching contingent in a crowd, thanks to a raucous ride-the-snake riff and basslines that bounce off your temples like beach balls made of lead. Not to mention the commanding howl of guitarist/vocalist Rebecca Burchette (she also sings lead on “What a Drag”), a fire-breather who sounds like she just challenged Fight Amp’s other shouters, bassist Jon Dehart and guitarist Mike McGinnis, to a duel. Sure enough, McGinnis steps up to the plate on the very next track, trudging through a tar pit of electrocuted chords for six and a half minutes as he screams, “I don’t want to / Don’t fucking want to” like a petulant child. The fact that the song’s called “Get High and Fuck” couldn’t be more appropriate considering this whole album feels as dirty as a romp through a bed of needles, rather than, you know, roses.
—Andrew Parks
