Rising from the hard rock roots of Boston, Massachusetts, Fuzzkill have been laying waste to the underground music scene since the release of their debut record ‘Happen’ back in 2019. Influenced by the likes of Fall Out Boy, Green Day, The Foo Fighters, and Queen, Fuzzkill’s style lies firmly in the raucous and enduring pop-punk scene of the early 2000s, a place where soaring melodies, catchy hooks, and driving grooves rule supreme and dense four-part melodies are everything.

A tight-knit four-piece with shared backgrounds in musical theatre, Jake Smerechniak, Jordan Potash, Jude Torres, and Trey Lundquist have well and truly found their form in Fuzzkill, and while their debut record might have laid the foundation for things to come, it’s their sophomore album that has really put them on the map. Titled ‘The Get Better’, the new record is arguably one of the most densely packed and explosive collections of tracks that 2020 has to offer, pulling no punches and hitting hard with a force and style that would make local legends like Aerosmith, The Cars, and Pixies proud.

Rising from an intricate blend of digital tones and static breaks, the album begins with the aptly titled ‘Intro’, a short thirty-second burst of simple melody and evolving intrigue. It’s a disarming beginning, one that second cut ‘Stupid Fucking Summer’ steps into perfectly, unleashing a defiant early highlight of the album. With a flourish of drums and rolling bassline, ‘Stupid Fucking Summer’ drip with passion and emotion, layering surprisingly harmonious vocals with a flurry of guitar the fight to break through the alt-rock melee. Hopefully, defiant, and built to inflict maximum impact, it’s a song that you’ll find yourself returning to again and again, shouting along with each impassioned chorus.

Following numbers ‘Iced Tea’ and ‘Save The Date’ bring some classic guitar rock to the fore, breaking through your speakers with confidence, hard-hitting anthems and undeniably melodies. It’s a visceral one-two of guitar riffs and soaring vocals, building off one another to create a tour de force of reflective rock sounds. Elsewhere, ‘Intimate Affair’, ‘On Your Own’ and ‘Taking Damage’ blend caustic rock ‘n’ roll with underlying musical theatrics that shine through at every opportunity.

Taking the first step back from Fuzzkill’s high tempo sound, ‘Melodrama’ cuts through the action-packed album with acoustic sound and air of fragility, capturing an honest and deeply evocative sound that proves the band can write songs that shine with genuine human moments, as well as loud and unyielding rock anthems. It a trick that Fuzzkill repeat in perform form on ‘Society’, one of the most disarming and expressive releases on the album. Between the two tracks, there’s heartfelt verse and dynamic shifting choruses that draw you in and leave you utterly speechless.

In the closing moments of ‘The Get Better’, Fuzzkill unleash two of their most impressive tracks to date, ‘Everything Is Better (September)’ and ‘The Break’. Unyielding and uncompromising, the two tracks form a brash, perfect moment that some up the nature of the album perfectly, firing on all cylinders and throwing caution to the wind. It’s a fierce last hurrah that pushes everything else aside, letting the dust settle before the closing number ‘The Feel Alright’ fades into view. Easily the most impressive piece of composition and planning we’ve heard in months, ‘The Feel Alright’ echoes ‘Stupid Fucking Summer’ perfectly, lending a dark, emotive twist to the once fierce song. Haunting, visceral, and impossible to ignore, it’s a poignant and powerful end to an absolutely massive album.

After just a few tracks, it’s obvious that unravelling every strand or stitch of ‘The Get Better’ is an impossible task. Built to impress, entertain and inspire, ‘The Get Better’ is brave, explosive, and unforgettable, offering a constant flow of reflective songs that aren’t afraid to tackle the big issues or look deep into the heart of darker times. Showcasing the band’s ability to weave driven, self-reflective, and often poignant narratives into hard-hitting pop-punk sounds, Fuzzkill’s sophomore album is a rough and ready triumph and an absolute hidden gem of 2020. - Broken 8 Records

Working with bands like FuzzKill is one of the reasons I still love what I do. Not only does their music sound great, but they really know how to energize a crowd and keep them pumped throughout the whole set! It was such a pleasure to work with Trey and the guys; super humble, passionate and hard workers who know what they are doing. Boston, watch out for FuzzKill, I am expecting big things from this band! - LB Events

FuzzKill is a four-piece rock band that started in Boston, MA. Introduced to one another through musical theatre, the band’s sound is firmly rooted in early 2000’s pop-punk influences. They released their debut studio album, “Happen”, in early 2019, and their sophomore album, “The Get Better”, just dropped on September 19th 2020. We have all heard the biggest punk bands of the 90’s and early 00’s. Their music mainly consisted of driving drums, distorted pop-punk guitar work and a set of memorable lyrics to go with the angst-filled high energy vocals. Today punk bands are a rarity, and any good ones usually stay locked and undiscovered in the underground. Until FuzzKill arrived on the scene with their sophomore album, that is.

From the outset Fuzzkill has inadvertently set themselves up for some lofty expectations that many punk fans have been wishing the genre would achieve once again. So with their newest album, aptly titled, “The Get Better”, these new tracks find the group reaching all the expected heights, they or any fan of pop-punk have previously set. Track after track, FuzzKill achieves the 2000’s pop-punk sound, updated into the here and now, in a wall of supersonic exposition without distraction.

The thunderous drums become the full beating heart of the music. Crisp and crunchy driving guitars are expertly placed, throbbing basslines ignite the rhythms, and throaty, soaring vocals are boosted by washes of mellifluous harmonies.

You actually feel the vibrant atmosphere and urgent attitude of the music. It soon becomes clear that members, Jake Smerechniak, Jordan Potash, Jude Torres, and Trey Lundquist, are taking you to new heights, rather than just floating around on the sidelines, waiting to be heard.

This superb feeling is set ablaze from the opening track, “Stupid Fucking Summer”, which comes right after the playful “Intro”. Aside from the explosive forward motion of the percussive momentum, the genius of the music, is in its ability to captivate all of your senses and stimulate your emotion. FuzzKill throw thick layers of melody and harmony into their cauldron of pulsating rhythms that will leave you breathless.

The ferocious upbeat instrumentation continues on the bone-crushing “Iced Tea” and dynamic stop-start arrangement of “Save The Date”. This is uplifting, euphoria-inducing sonics designed for the bold-hearted. The lead singer’s genre-advance in pure vocal ability, truly shines throughout here.

“Intimate Affair” even brings groove into the punk-pop equation, and it’s a marvelous thing. FuzzKill get out the acoustic guitar, and turn on the emotional floodgates on the poignant “Melodrama”. It’s easy to get caught in the web of downtempo vibes here.

“Wolfman” ups the ante with a punchy singalong anthem at its core, before the crushing guitars of “Everything is Better (September)” re-adjusts the template with another towering performance by the band. The lead vocals here, are truly astounding, showing range and power. The narrative in “Society,” places itself within a lofty context, while the song also hosts a marvelous, head-rush of a chorus that sticks in your head for days at a time.

Honestly, if all of pop-punk sounded like FuzzKill do on “On Your Own”, the genre would still be thriving in the mainstream charts today. However, having said that, I like FuzzKill best, when they flaunt their abrasive alternative rock tendencies, as on the fully powered, riff-laden “Taking Damage”. Few bands can bridge alternative rock and pop-punk, with such a level of conviction, style, and overall coherence.

Moving forward FuzzKill continue switching their template with absolute mastery. On “Sun/Down” they’re in full, high-speed punk mode. Then “The Break”, featuring John Tyler Kent, sees them brandishing those blistering guitars and another killer melody, supported by excellent drumming and a fiery lead solo.

“The Feel Alright” offers the album’s most eloquent moments in a power ballad which thrives on a mesmerizing lead vocal, and minimal instrumentation. In the end, FuzzKill and “The Get Better”, exceeds all the hype, I or anyone else could possibly deliver, within a collection of fourteen songs that stand amongst the decade’s strongest pop-punk records I have come across – indie or major label! - Jamsphere Magazine