Fist City - It's 1983 Grow Up!

  by Dave Goodwin

published: 12 / 7 / 2014

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Review

When I put this this on for a first run, I thought, "Naaah! I don't even like the album title." It all seemed a little unpolished. Then a day or two later I put it on again and I bloody well loved it! I still don't like the album title, but the music is great. Kier Fist (vocals and guitar), Brittany Fist (bass and vocals), Evan Van Reekum (guitar) and Ryan Grieve (drums) are the guys and girls that make up Fist City who started life in Lethbridge, Alberta in 2009. Shortly after formation, they released their first LP, 'Hunting You', on the Cleveland-based Dead Beat Records. After a spirited performance at Sled Island 2010, Fist City’s 'Debbie Get Yr Boa' featured on the premiere episode of Much Music’s 'The Wedge' which sparked a conspiracy regarding the band members and their involvement in the Satanic underground in which they were accused of being Satan-worshiping reptilian hermaphrodites. Nice. The band then released three additional releases in 2010; a limited run self-titled EP, a split EP with Vancouver’s Timecopz, and a collection of outtakes, 'Demos//Live Fisting'. Then in 2011 Fist City released a split cassette with the Moby Dicks on Scotch Tapes. That spring, Fist City recorded with Don Pyle of Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet in Toronto. While there cult performer Tonetta connected Fist City with Black Tent Press who offered to release this, their second LP, 'It’s 1983, Grow Up!' Originally released in June 2012, this album has been reissued on Transgressive. With references to knife-wielding girl gangs and what the band describes as other "immortal weirdos", 'It's 1983 Grow Up' is set in the psychedelic and post=punk genres. Standout tracks for me are the opener 'Boring Kids', 'The Creeps' and 'Weak End', the latter of which is a slower affair but just as infectious. Also featuring bonus tracks 'Let's Rip' and 'Losers Never Die', this is an album for Fugazi, Fidlar, Black Lips and Die!Die!Die! fans without a doubt. They did three dates in Britain in March and hopefully will be back in the near future, but if you want to delve more into the world of Fist City check out the website which has been done rather well. Be warned, eventually this album will get you. It will hunt you down, infect your ears and grind a hollow into your frontal lobe. Marvellous!

Track Listing:-

1 Boring Kids
2 The Creeps
3 Weak End
4 Caveman's Lunch
5 F**k
6 Wet Freaks
7 Blow
8 Endless Bummer
9 Spit
10 Guts
11 Burn Burn Burn Burn
12 Never Bored
13 Let's Rip
14 Losers Never Die

Band Links:-

https://twitter.com/xfistcityx
http://www.fistcitycult.com/
https://www.facebook.com/fistcitycult

Label Links:-

https://twitter.com/transgressiveHQ
https://www.facebook.com/transgressive
http://www.transgressiverecords.com/
https://www.youtube.com/user/Transgres
https://instagram.com/transgressivehq/