Fuzz is the heavy, gritty, and yes, fuzzy sound you get when Ty Segall, Charlie Moothart (guitar) and Ronald Cosio (bass) come together. The secretive trio did not reveal their identities until after their 7’’ was released (and sold out) under the label Trouble in Mind in January. The 7’’ included cuts of “This Time I Got a Reason” and “Fuzz’s Fourth Dream.” The band’s sound is a mixture of heavy psychedelic garage rock with lo-fi vocals, lots of feedback and fast drumming. Fuzz has taken notes from early Black Sabbath, Blue Cheer, MC5 and Marc Bolan to turn out a very dark album with a diverse range of sounds that engage all senses.
The self-titled album is the band’s first full-length, and it’s full of heavy, powerful, catchy riffs. But with only eight tracks, it’s also short and sweet. “What’s In My Head” surprises by kicking off with a jazzy hook, seeming like it’s going to be a mellow track, then suddenly jets straight into the chorus with heavy drums, guitar, and beckoning vocals. It’s a trademark move of Fuzz to halt songs to a near stop (sometimes stopping completely) before injecting them with adrenaline-filled guitar riffs..
“Fuzz’s fourth dream” is by far the catchiest track—the stand out B side of their 7.’’ Ozzy-like vocals chant the chorus, drawing you in, almost in a sinister way. It’s deliciously trashy and very well mixed.
LISTEN: FUZZ – Loose Sutres (In The Red Records)
Best Track: “Loose Sutres.” The song starts off with the recognizable twangs of a typical Ty Segall song, and goes into harmonies similar to The Oh Sees — full of energy and definitely catchy. The chorus drifts off and the heavy Sabbath-like guitar kicks in. The solo takes you on an acid-trip before coming to a complete stop for two minutes of guitar feedback and a drum solo. It’s hard psych-rock at it’s best.
Jordan graduated from the Ryerson School of Journalism in 2014. Her main area of interest is music.
