FAT WHITE FAMILY : Songs For Our Mothers

If you thought the Fat White Family was just a joyous band of troublemakers, Songs For Our Mothers will give you reasons to reconsider their status. They have come a long way since their debut Champagne Holocaust that reeked of sweat and second hand leather.

While these rock’n’roll animals excel at fiery live shows, their new effort reveals a whole new side to their songwriting, they can be bold, but also subtle, sensual and clever. This record is made of a wide array of influences while carrying its own touch, Lias Saoudi’s vocals endow the songs with a particular pitch and twist, something that at times may remind of Tom Verlaine and sounds suave and nearly theatrical. He uses his full potential here, from nonchalant to ominous.

With this thoughtful and yet life-affirming record, Fat Whites are the living proof that even in this gentrified century, rock’n’roll can still make statements like no other art form can: rebellion,  sexiness, causing outrage, giving the middle finger to the establishment with some sinful pieces of music, as if they were dancing on wheels of fire.

The band is humorous, punks who put a picture of Mother Teresa on the side A of their vinyl and can be as comical as dramatic, they sure don’t take themselves seriously at all. This is a record where all kind of worlds collide and where they raise the worst of humanity with fascism and nazism.

Unconventional and eclectic whilst keeping their finger on the pulse, Songs For Our Mothers encompasses the sheer sexiness of “Satisfied”, the bitter-sweet despair of “Love is the Crack”, the deceptive nonchalance of “Hits Hits Hits”, the impending doom of “Duce”, later echoed with “We Must Learn To Rise”, the most apocalypse sounding  tune on the record and possibly their most accomplished song, a bone chilling anthem. In this realm of grim visions, the album has a song in german called “Lebensraum”, the territory believed especially by Nazis to be necessary for national existence or economic self-sufficiency.

It also incorporates the quirky number “When Shipman Decides” that may remind some of the musical interludes on the road in the film My Own Private Idaho. Thought provoking and picturesque.

Their tunes are left open to interpretation but they are one of the rare bands out there that are able to make sense while rocking out. Their distorted guitars are a weapon but the various layers in  their songs are a more potent bomb. While the sounds are thrilling right off the bat, it takes several proper listening sessions to get a full grasp of this record. There is something addictive about getting down to it, something orgasmic that resonates in their live performances and puts a lot of bands to shame. They may be vulgar to some and are irreverent,  animal, feisty, crazy and blasphemous, what the old rock’n’roll beast is all about.

Songs For Our Mothers was released on PIAS on January 22nd 2016.