EP Review: Guitar Fight from Fooly Cooly – ‘Drought’
Posted: by The Editor
While 2022 had a handful of notable emo releases—particularly the fantastic debuts from Ben Quad and A Place for Owls, and the energetic, joyous Forests and ANORAK! albums arriving from overseas—it seemed like a somewhat quiet year for emo, with many of the heavy hitters from the previous years sitting out or sticking to limited releases. One of those heavy hitters, Guitar Fight from Fooly Cooly, is back with an emphatic and frenzied EP. In a little over ten minutes, the band runs through the weapons in their arsenal, packing Drought with an onslaught of sick riffs overtop a wild rhythm section, noodly breakdowns, and some of the thickest, chunkiest guitar tones of any band in the neighborhood of emo.
Their guitar tones are one of the elements that make Guitar Fight from Fooly Cooly stick out amongst the crowd so much. It’s instantly recognizable as their sound—almost over the top with how much fuzz they’re pumping through the speakers. After an eerie, underwater start, “Blackhole City” kicks off with that signature sound, blasting your ears and never letting up, even during the slower coda. “Blood Mouth” keeps that energy high before tearing everything down for an obligatory midwest noodle riff, and then alchemizing a slice of that riff into one of the more ferocious runs on the EP.
The most energetic track of the four, “Pyramid” uses its downpour of heavy guitars to take on descent that too much drinking can lead to with the lyrics “why / why can’t I fucking do this / lie to myself / just vibe to the fucking music / why / why am I so fucking stupid / yeah I’ve got a problem / no I won’t solve it / drink another drink while my liver resolves it” being followed by an intense breakdown. That ability to change the trajectory of the songs and take them in an entirely new direction is part of what makes Drought work so well, and closer “Wooden Cross” might be the best example. Starting off at a milder pace than other tracks here, it blasts off at about 1:15, before ending on a run that subtly adds some sludge to the gears, grinding the frantic pace of the track—and the entire EP—to a measured finale.
Disappointing / Average / Good / Great / Phenomenal
Drought is available on vinyl through Sleepy Clown Records.
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Aaron Eisenreich | @slobboyreject
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