Before the listener can get their bearings, an abrupt wave of feedback erupts. After two seconds, drummer Ryan Pitz bangs a four-count on his snare drum, launching into a furious wall of hardcore sound. “Your bullshit’s the same, no different than the last,” frenetically screams vocalist Alexis Marshall, commencing the 14-song, 14-minute aural attack that is Fucking Invincible’s debut LP, It’ll Get Worse Before It Gets Better (Atomic Action Records).
Before the listener can get their bearings, an abrupt wave of feedback erupts. After two seconds, drummer Ryan Pitz bangs a four-count on his snare drum, launching into a furious wall of hardcore sound. “Your bullshit’s the same, no different than the last,” frenetically screams vocalist Alexis Marshall, commencing the 14-song, 14-minute aural attack that is Fucking Invincible’s debut LP, It’ll Get Worse Before It Gets Better (Atomic Action Records).
On the heels of releasing two EPs, 2012’s Very Negative and 2013’s Downtown Is Dead (also on Atomic Action), Providence, RI’s Fucking Invincible continues their journey into short, energetic and highly aggressive hardcore territory. This time around though, the band advances its sound to chop up standard song structures and breakdowns.
“Not to give the cliché answer, but it’s the best stuff we’ve written,” says guitarist George Radford. “We made the perfect choice recording with Will [Killingsworth at Dead Air Studios]. He really captured what this band sounds like in my head.”
“I think [the sound’s] progressive like anything musically, whether it’s intentional or not. We’re more comfortable as a group,” says Marshall.
The record sounds furious. In some ways (at least to this writer), the band and record is a breath of fresh air, knowing that gentlemen in their 30s are re-examing the punk music they fell in love with, only to play it better, faster, and louder.
“I think all the best hardcore ever written has been written by young people, and I feel like all of [us] are still playing the type of music we were writing when we were young and angry. So we’re pretty much just ripping off our younger selves,” says guitarist Jim Connolly.
“It’s punk rock. It should be angry,” says Marshall. “[We thought] it’d be fun to play hardcore music, yell ‘fuck’ and jump up and down. We all said we could do that together. That’d be fun.”
This Thursday at Strange Matter, Fucking Invincible will bring their nasty brand of hardcore to Richmond while touring in support of It’ll Get Worse Before It Gets Better.
Photo by Reid Haithcock
Touring is nothing new for the five members of Fucking Invincible. Comprised of members of notable New England bands Dropdead, Daughters, Soul Control, Mean Man’s Dream, Sweet Jesus, and countless others, the members have put their fair share of time in vans and planes travelling across the U.S. and abroad. One would think that such a lifestyle could take a toll on touring desires. However, with all the members in their 30s, Fucking Invincible shows no signs of slowing down.
“Before we started doing this band, I pretty much never wanted to tour again. My other band did six months straight at one point, and fought all the time,” says Connolly. “I felt like I knew neighborhoods in Fresno better than my own town.” After ceasing to tour for a bit, Connolly remarks that touring with Fucking Invincible feels less of like a job. “I love going on tour again. I think of it as vacation. Now, it’s a fun thing I do.”
“For me, it’s a lot different because I’m not doing drugs or drinking alcohol anymore. So I’m 6 years sober and going to places I’ve been before and [kind of recognizing people and places],” says Marshall. “I’m experiencing things the way I wasn’t experiencing them [before]. I’m excited to play music and talk to people about things that are happening in the world. I want to play and hang out with my friends.”
“I’ll never stop being excited about playing as long as I can physically do it. I’ll play in front of 5 people at 60, if someone books it,” adds Radford.
Fucking Invincible plays Strange Matter on Thursday, September 18 with Venomspitter, Page of Concrete, and Morticia. Doors at 5pm. $8 entry fee.
