The Faps – The New Daft Punk EP

Where do you start with a band who described themselves as weirdo punk from Saskatoon and provide an image that depicts them as fallen angels, one that to my eyes appears to be taken from a twisted version of Dogma, and that’s before you’ve taken in the nightmarish depiction of the duo that adorns their latest release, The New Daft Punk EP. Well that’s where we start with Canadian duo The Faps, this is not anthemic or uplifting, it isn’t introspective or thoughtful and neither is it designed with a frantic mosh pit in mind, it’s just, well, it’s The Faps.

The opening track and lead single, Deja Vu, starts in a straightforward manner with a grinding heavy riff that is reminiscent of Mudhoney in their prime, before it heads off into unexpected territory, at times it noodles itself into submission, at others it intertwines with almost circus like elements, there are extended sonic jams, wailing saxophone breaks, at times you find that you forgot that this is the same song, before you are jolted back into their timestream as the riff returns, harder than ever. And that just the first three minutes.

The next chapter is the unexpectedly mellow It’s Fucking Die Time, a track that provides a calming interlude, until it inevitably jerks you back into consciousness. This is followed by Death Grips, an almost nightmarish hallucinatory sonic assault switches between frantic punk rhythms, dark twisted heavy blues breakdowns and hypnotic looping mantras. Finally Bonez initially hits you with a surprisingly jaunty upbeat feel, of course this doesn’t last, it becomes increasingly deranged, devolving once more into an overwhelming unhinged aural assault on the senses that defies description.

The Faps are two people making a minimalistic and distinctly DIY racket, one that is made with the intention of pleasing no one but themselves. The Faps follow in the footsteps of outsiders like The Cardiacs and Primus, not necessarily musically, but in the context of bands who always trod their own eccentric path, regardless of commercial appeal. There’s a this is us, take it or leave it attitude that you just have to admire. Whilst Deja Vu and Death Grips can happily reside in your playlist, the New Daft Punk EP as a whole is one that will be for specific moments, probably late at night when the balance of your mind has been altered chemically in some way.

The New Daft Punk EP will be released on the 4th June and can be pre-ordered via Bandcamp