Description
Western MA has a new face of weirdo punk in the likes of Fugue State, who are slated to release their debut LP “In The Lurch” in the spring of 2025 with support from Philadelphia label Strange Mono.
Originating in 2022 as a solo project of songwriter Shane Bruno (Bridge of Flowers), the music of FUGUE STATE is drenched in cavernous echo, searing Soviet fuzz, and raw urgency, accosting the listener through a makeshift telephone mic about ruminations on themes of existential peril, hometown blight, relationships, and other stream of consciousness pontificating.
“In The Lurch” marks Fugue State’s full band debut. Bruno initially recruited Gage O’Brien and fellow Bridge of Flowers comrade Jon Hanson to form a band and reanimate the 2023 six-song EP “Subtlety’s Dead” for live performance. This proved so successful that they managed to churn out enough material to fill out a record in an urgent process.
The resulting effort elaborates on the first release and draws on influences like Pere Ubu and Roxy Music, focused through the lens of contemporary garage rock, punk, and psychedelia. The band’s live sound has drawn comparisons to Butthole Surfers, Crime, The Flesh Eaters, and “The Gun Club if they took mushrooms instead of dope.”
Adding to their eclectic sound, In The Lurch features guest appearances by Wednesday Knudsen (Pigeons, Stella Kola) on tenor saxophone and Vigilance Brandon (Trance Macabre) on trumpet, showcasing the band’s openness to unconventional instrumentation.
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