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BUCKCHERRY
Fuck EP

F-Bomb (2014)
Rating: 8.5/10

Having courted controversy for many years, Los Angeles-based sleazy rockers Buckcherry have once again stepped on toes with their new six-track EP Fuck, which by its very title alone should offend just about anyone who doesn’t get it. But beyond its expletives, Fuck is another swaggering smörgåsbord bursting with attitude, spitting venom, heaving with licks and content to crack heads.

Josh Todd and company have had a knack for writing sexy, dirty rock ’n’ roll songs since their inception in 1995. Over the years they’ve been responsible for some of the best and downright sneering tunes, from the controversial ‘Crazy Bitch’ to the… er, controversial ‘Lit Up’ and of course the wonderfully… controversial ‘Gluttony’, and now with Fuck the band has gone one step further. This is Buckcherry at its angriest, because while still melodic their ability to insert the word “fuck” into every track title is no doubt going to have the censors frothing, and the sales soaring.

So, first up we have the fantastic high-octane thrills of ‘Somebody Fucked With Me’ which, if a swear-box was employed during recording it would no doubt have been filled by the first chorus! “Fuck the system, fuck the lawyers, fuck the sequel, fuck ‘em all… fuck religion, fuck the country, fuck politicians fuck them all…” barks Todd in truly belligerent fashion over another of those grisly, tattooed riffs. “Fuck my parents, my teachers, fuck my forefathers, fuck them all…” he rants again, with the drum a steady, hateful nod of rebellion to aid the frontman in his question of vehemence, and yet it’s one of the best tracks Buckcherry has produced.

With ‘Say Fuck It’ (a take on Swedish synthpop duo Icona Pop’s hit ‘I Love It’) we have the clever side of the band. This time there’s that infectious, commercial rock pomp which emerges from an initial slamming, grinding buzz. Vocally it’s immense; a joyous slab of bubble-gum influenced punky rock. “I crashed my car into a bridge, I don’t care… say fuck it!” Todd sneers, and as the guitar hook flicks with sensitively behind a bruising rhythm of firm nodding drum I’m mesmerised; it’s Buckcherry at its most fiery and playful.

‘Motherfucker’ shifts and shakes initially with a swagger akin to The Cult, before lowering the tone to a sparse shuffle of twinkling guitar followed by another raging chorus. This one is Buckcherry-by-numbers to some extent; exhibiting that stony drum and rumbling bass. But for pure, sleazy, grimy energetic throb then check out the swanky groove of ‘I Don’t Give a Fuck’ – with its low down and dirty strut it showcases funky soul and danceable punch, as Todd’s voice is delivered with typical antisocial grace.

‘It’s A Fucking Disaster’ and ‘Fist Fuck’ is a slow-building trickle where Todd barks, “All my fears and all my problems just get in the way…” before the injection of a swaggering guitar lick and mad rush of percussion and bass. “Is this what I’m after, it’s a fucking disaster, it’s another time-bomb ticking away…”, the combo exploding like a frenzied, punked-up, out of control bunch of degenerates of whom we hang on every word.

And finally we have ‘Fist Fuck’. Clearly with a title that will not endear it to the charts, it’s the ideal rabid anthem Buckcherry will hopefully close (or begin?) shows with, such is its fury. Boasting gang chants, speedy rhythms and flailing leads and that toxic shout of “This is what you wanted, this is what you needed” it’s the sort of bruising anarchy that has always been simmering beneath the Buckcherry psyche, and when they do allow it to emerge like some raging demon we know we’re in for a party at the edge of hell.

Fuck may be a middle finger to the establishment, a fist in the face of conformity, and a gob of spit hurling itself at the corporate sluts, but more importantly it’s another fucking great episode in that vibrant, and slightly unstable career of one of America’s best rock ’n’ roll bands… and if you don’t like it, then fuck you!

Neil Arnold