FUCK! (It’s Pronounced SHIT!)

It’s Still Pronounced SHIT [EP] (2017)

badseed

Fraser Murderburger never seems to rest. The Murderburgers are almost constantly on tour. In between their last two albums he kept busy with short-lived side projects like Rat Toilet with Brad Lokkesmoe from Dear Landlord and the Phase Problem with Flav Giorgini from Squirtgun, and he’s now playing drums in Bike Notes as well. Somehow he’s also found the time to resurrect FUCK! *(It’s Pronounced SHIT!)*, his wonderfully named solo-ish side project, who, aside from the odd local gig, have been dormant for several years.

If you’ve never heard of FIPS, as I’ll be calling them from now on, don’t beat yourself up. They exist in a world of super-short digital and limited edition cassette EPs; marketing isn’t exactly their forte. So here are the headlines: seven songs in four-and-a-half minutes; hilarious song titles; fast drums; Lookout/Fat Wreck guitars; and a healthy dose of misanthropy, much of it directed inwards. It may or may not have been entirely recorded by Fraser on his own – in the past he’s roped in members of the criminally underrated Kimberly Steaks to help out.

If you’ve fallen for the Murderburgers’ winning mixture of pacy pop-punk and self-loathing, but you wish it was just a little faster and even more self-flagellating, then FIPS are the band for you. If your attention span struggles to deal with songs occasionally stretching past the one-minute mark, then step right up.

Fraser describes the band as “the musical equivalent of a mental breakdown”, which is pretty apt. “Oh Hi, It’s Me – The Bleeding, Flatlining Human Blob” is trademark FIPS, as Fraser yelps “It feels like I’ve somehow ruined everything but I don’t know how… please find the sharpest stone and smash my skull.” But in truth there’s noticeably more hope in his lyrics than before. “Avoiding Mirrors Used To Be My Favourite Hobby” deals with Body Dysmorphic Disorder, but ends with Fraser conquering his demons and declaring “I put the mirror back up and close the door, I won’t live like that anymore”. The fully 9-second long “The Perfect Tour Seagull” is, I think, a tribute to Brandon Carlisle.

“Wank Florida Wank” wraps things up (all FIPS records end with Against Me! masturbation puns – “You Look Like I Need A Wank” and “Wanking Is Still Honest” closed their previous two records), starting with Fraser singing the first three words of “Sink Florida Sink” before blasting off in a direct direction, and ending on an unexpectedly positive note as he sings “I'm through with feeling hopeless, lost and lonely and I'm done with looking for another way out”.

It’s Still Pronounced SHIT is

FIPS’ third EP, fully five years after their last, and it’s just as much fun as

the previous two. I probably listen to FUCK!

*(It’s Pronounced SHIT!)* more than the Murderburgers these days, although that

has a lot to do with the fact that I can blast through their entire discography

four times in an hour. If you’re a fan

of pop-punk, short songs or angry Scotsmen, I suggest you join me.