IN REVIEW: Fucked Up - "Dose Your Dreams"

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On paper, Fucked Up's fifth full-length album is a return to form; revisiting the story from 2011's David Comes to Life and offering a sprawling 18-song set that can't be contained to one CD sure looks like the Fucked Up we know and love.

However, it doesn't take long to figure out just how different Dose Your Dreams is from previous records; there's a psychedelic cloud permeating this record, and a wide breadth of instrumentation we might not be used to hearing. For instance, toward the end of Raise Your Voice Joyce, what seems like a standard punk rager gets dreamy courtesy of a wild saxophone solo. Electronic flourishes are present throughout, and some tracks (like the wonderfully groovy title track and the thumping left turn Mechanical Bull) have a hypnotically danceable quality to them. There's also a pronounced step back from Damian Abraham, especially as the album plays out and the mic is handed to a wider and wider array of guest vocalists.

That said, no one does a concept record quite like Fucked Up and, at its heart, the expanded musical palette and the larger guest list doesn't distract too much from the seemingly effortless majesty that's in Fucked Up's DNA. On first listen, a true sense of wonder develops as the album plays out; the feeling that anything can happen is palpable, and this record is very good at keeping the listener guessing. Dose Your Dreams is packed with twists, turns and all sorts of sonic trickery.

Though it ultimately ends up being more notable for its diversity than the true quality of its songs, Dose Your Dreams is nonetheless another astonishing accomplishment for a band that's built their career upon astonishing accomplishments. Over the course of its 82 minutes, this record proves time and time again just how adventurous and visionary Fucked Up can be; at its conclusion, fans can expect to be a little overwhelmed by the scope of what they just listened to. Considering the scope of their discography to this point, I'd say mission most definitely accomplished.

October 5, 2018 • Arts & Crafts
Highlights Raise Your Voice Joyce • Dose Your Dreams • I Don't Wanna Live in This World Anymore

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