FIDLAR have made a reputation for themselves as the debaucherous face of indie surf punk.
With song titles like “FSU” (short for fuck shit up), “Bad Habits”, and “Wake Bake Skate”, it’s easy to see why. Their music is loud, full of guitar shredding, and lyrics that promote the feel-good hedonism of partying maybe a little bit too hard with your best friends.
Eventually though, the party has to end, right? Not If you’re FIDLAR it doesn’t. For them, getting older just means partying smarter (LiquidIV electrolytes anyone?). The band has taken the best parts of aging – self-knowledge, security, clarity of vision – and thrown out the rest. Now, after a several years long hiatus, the group is back and a bigger party than ever on their latest record SURVIVING THE DREAM. Inspired by recent spates of touring and the energy their still-young crowds have been bringing to shows, the band is set to release an album chock full of party anthems. The same great sound, and hedonism as always, except this time the band member’s are older, wiser, and freer in their music than ever before.
So free in fact that they decided to write, play, record, and produce the album entirely by themselves. No label. No producers. Just the three of them, following their instincts, writing the kinds of songs they know will get a crowd going.
Getting older and growing up doesn’t mean staying in on weekends and getting a full eight hours of sleep a night if you don’t want it to. It simply means you know yourself better and are confident enough in that self to put it out there more freely. Lucky for us, FIDLAR’s freedom sounds sick as hell.
In conversation with 1883, FIDLAR’s bassist, Brandon Schwartzel talks about how the band isn’t really any crazier than anyone else, what it was like getting back to playing shows post-pandemic, and how it feels to go back to self-producing an album after going off-label.
Okay, are you ready to get into it?
Let’s get it. Let’s get to the hard hitting questions.
Well, before we get into the questions, I just want to say that I’ve been listening to FIDLAR for years, and was so excited to speak with you today. This is the first interview I’ve done that I really wanted an ex to see. He’d lose his mind.
[Laughs] Let’s talk some shit!
[Laughs] Anyway, I just love the record. I’ve listened to it like three times today top to bottom.
Oh, sick!
I think it’s like a good mix of old and new. Sounds like you guys, but it’s like also branching into a new area. So, in the press release, there’s mention of how you guys, as a trio, were beginning to realize you were no longer, quote, “the young, hedonistic youth you’d been when you first started out.” Can you put me into that moment with you a little bit? What had happened to make you feel like, Oh, we’re not quite as young as we once were.
Well, I think, just our band in general, has always gotten a self-inflicted, hedonistic thing put on us like we’re these crazy party animals. And really, we’re kind of normal. Like, we’re not, we’re not any crazier than anyone else. I feel like there are sad indie rockers that are like, twice as nuts as we are. We just kind of talk about it more I guess [laughs].
But I don’t know. I think it, it’s like, you just get to a point of, like, you know, Zach being in and out of sober, and getting older, and all the friends we have in bands that, you met partying and going to house parties and playing punk shows with, and then you just get older and you can’t do it, or you did too much. You know, it’s just kind of that normal life stuff. I guess there wasn’t, like, a specific moment where it’s like, oh shit, we’re old [laughs]. We just can’t keep up anymore. But you just find different ways to survive the dream of being in a band and being in a punk band. I gotta get more comfortable shoes. Like, Vans aren’t cutting it anymore [laughs].
Time to get some orthotics.
[Laughs] Yeah! You gotta, like, get liquid IV in you now. It sounds kind of lame, but it’s just true.
You’re in your electrolyte era.
Yeah, and I think we’ve kind of taken pride in the amount of energy we put into live shows and just our band in general. Like with this record, it’s self releases, self produces. So we’re, like, our own record label or our own social media team, where our own art designers, music videos, like, it’s just the three of us doing all of that. And so you have to take care of yourself in order to have the energy to do that stuff. Like, if we were shotgunning beers, we wouldn’t be able to function or thrive or survive or whatever [laughs].
Absolutely. I also heard that it was a little bit difficult to just get yourself ready to record and get back into the studio to create the new album. What do you think it was that spurred you guys on to get going with this new record?
I mean, honestly, I think it was getting back post-pandemic and playing shows. The feeling of our fans, who are maniacs, but they’re awesome, and the amount of energy that they give us was just like, oh, we gotta do this. Our fans are still here. They want this. Let’s give them a record. Let’s get it together and make it so we can go play it for these people and share it with them. You know, it’s like mainlining adrenaline, just getting feedback at a FIDLAR show is like the highest high that you can get.
And so I think that was probably the main reason for working out songs. I feel like past records, we were touring so much that when we’d get in the studio, we’d want to do something different, you know, kind of explore the studio more. And I think from having that time of not being able to tour. We were like, let’s write stuff that’s gonna go off live. Let’s make music that’s gonna get the pit going and not think so much about oh, what could we explore in the studio space? We know what we do well.
What do you think are those elements that make a song so special to play live?
Um, I think it’s just, you can kind of just feel it. When the three of us were in a room and we’re jamming out ideas like you could just tell. Like, Nudge, for example, that song, when we started playing it we were like, oh shit, this is gonna go off. You can kind of just feel it. I think we can feel it as a band. Like, I know how that makes me want to perform the song. And if it’s making us feel like that, and we can make the crowd feel like that, they’re gonna give it back tenfold. That’s how the cycle of stokedness goes [laughs].
I’ve played in bands for a very long time, since I was a kid, and you know, when you’ve got a special moment. You’re like, yeah, all right. That’s what it’s like.
You guys have also said that embracing your age led you to feel more freedom, to make whatever kind of music that you wanted. Are there any songs on this new record that you feel like are particularly representative of that newfound freedom, or songs that maybe you wouldn’t have released or even written when you were younger.
Yeah, I mean, I think one that popped in my mind is Break Your Heart, which is kind of a chiller song. And we did that, unplug EP that was kind of acoustic, like indie versions of old songs. And we’ve always kind of you know made loud, aggressive, punky music, but we’re also indie kids in some corner of our being. And so I think it’s kind of nice to calm it down a little bit. So Break My Heart is kind of that feeling on the record – it never really takes off. I think before, it would always be our instinct to go, all right,when do we blow the roof off? And it’s like, maybe we don’t. Maybe it’s nice to just sit there. We have other songs that are gonna blow the roof off. But there’s something kind of sweet about the come down after the party or something, you know, it’s like, it’s hard… it’s…
Well, you can’t be at level 10 the whole time.
Yeah! And I think, in the context of a record too, it’s all right to not get barraged the entire time.

In a live show that also works like, you don’t want to be super hard the whole time. It is nice to just have, like, a moment to vibe.
Yeah. If everything is as loud as it can be, then no one knows how loud it is, because it’s just loud. You have to have quiet for it to feel loud, for the loud to feel exciting, or whatever. I think that song, Break My Heart, and Sad Kids is kind of like a happy, like posy vibe, but it has, like ukulele on it, and like some different sounds, like synthy stuff that was kind of just fun to play with. We’re not going to really be able to have those sounds live, and we’ll play it a different way live. But it’s fun to kind of like, yeah, dude, just like, record the ukulele. Do it! It sounds cool.
Yeah, that sounds so fun. Getting more experimental, I guess, with things too, in a way
Yeah! And then Hurt, which is the last song on the record, which kind of almost feels like a graduation ballad. Like alt-country kind of energy or something to it. I think that song’s great, and we kind of were just like, we gotta do it. Sometimes the song’s just there. If it sounds like that it’s okay to sound like that. We don’t have to punk it up. If it’s good it’s good. So I think that’s the kind of freedom with getting older – allowing ourselves to do that and not be like, well, how do we make it like, more pissed off, or more party? like, that’s, that’s not that song. We have that song.
So tell what was it like going back to self-producing after working with really excellent producers for the last couple records?
Yeah, it’s kind of funny. I think we just were kind of like, we could do this. And maybe it’s part of self-releasing and having no label, and being 100% independent. No one knows our music better than us, and we kind of felt like it was there, and didn’t need much to get it to the finish line.
But it was kind of funny, like on the first record, when Zach and I were living in the FID house, which is like a party house that we played our first shows at and made our first record in, we had a studio there. And we were sharing some equipment with our friend Danny, and where we recorded, SURVIVING THE DREAM is Danny’s studio, like he has his own studio now called Balboa. So it felt like the grown and sexy version of doing our first record. We’re smarter, we’re better at what we’re doing. We’re not losing our minds. I mean, we lost our minds a little bit, but we were in a better studio, but it’s still our friends, and we’re still kind of using our friends’ gear [laughs]. It’s just kind of weird, like the 2.0 version.
Yeah, it’s like, slightly more grown up.
Yeah, like, still kind of fucked up, but like, in a healthier way [laughs].
That’s part of growing up. It’s like, slightly healthier, hopefully, if you’re doing growing up right.
But yeah, I thought of that yesterday when I was in the shower, and I was like, Oh, yeah. We recorded the first record on Danny’s studio gear, because he had it in our house. It’s like, damn crazy/
A little bit of homecoming there.
[Laughs] Yeah.
So what were some of your biggest inspirations heading into the making of this record?
Musically? Or just general inspiration?
I would like to know both sides of that question, actually.
It sounds kind of weird, but I feel like we really were inspiring ourselves.
There was something of being like, I don’t know, post-pandemic, post- some significant changes in our band. A member leaving; us deciding to keep going. And, like, being off of a label us deciding not to go with a label. It was a new kind of chapter of it being the three of us and we’re the ones that have the power of our band. So like, what are we gonna do? And like, pumping each other up, going, let’s do it. We’re all in, you know, like, let’s make this thing and let’s do it ourselves. Let’s hire our friend to engineer it, and let’s do it at our friend’s studio. And so, at least for me, I was really inspired just by my bandmates and by the fans from playing shows and stuff.
Musically, it was kind of all over the place. We all listen to a lot of different stuff. Zach’s been on some hyper pop stuff for a while,and he gets into a kind of like sonic weirdo land, which is awesome. I don’t even know what he’s talking about most of the time. He produces other bands, him and Max are both more studio producer savvy than I am. I’m kind of more the idea-art dude.
Let’s talk about your music videos for a little bit, since you’re the visual creative. What’s it been like going through that process?
I mean, it’s sort of always been this way, but it’s kind of like you try to make the coolest thing with the time and resources that you have. And in this particular record, there wasn’t a ton of time or resources [laughs]. So it’s just kind of like, all right, let’s make it. Which, in a way, felt kind of like a return to the old days of like you make something because you have to and not because you have a budget for it, or because it’s like, gonna do something.
With the FIX ME video, we made that here in my studio, and I built the walls for the set, and I painted the walls and then I asked Sosie Bacon, who was in the video… It was her birthday the week before we made that video, and we sang karaoke. And then I was just like, well, you’ve got to be the person that sings in this video. And then just asked her, like, hey, would you want to be in a FIDLAR video? And she was like, that sounds awesome. And so she was very gracious with her time. She’s an actress, so I was stoked. Otherwise it was gonna have to just be me doing karaoke or something. It’s so much better, that it’s like an actual actress that was making herself cry and stuff. this. It got really emotional on that one.
I guess it really elevates things when you’re able to share your art and then also have somebody else make their own little piece of art within your art. That’s got to be a really cool experience.
Yeah, totally! And, for that video in particular, it was a fine idea, but her performance made it something a little extra.
And then with DOWN N OUT, that was just me. I made a mask, and I painted some cardboard, and I set up my phone on a selfie stick, and I just recorded myself a bunch of times and then edited it.

Wow! So you’re also the video editor!?
Yeah! Well on FIX ME, our friend Zoe did it. Zoe’s another friend. It’s fucking awesome to have very talented friends too. I’ve worked on a lot of other videos of their bands or their projects and stuff. So it’s kind of like a cool community in that way, or like a currency of favors, in a sense. But yeah, DOWN N OUT I edited and shot – that was completely just me [laughs].
Do you find the process is kind of similar for you creatively, or is it an entirely different creative muscle you’re flexing when you make these videos?
Um, I’m kind of hyper, and just need something to do all the time. So, my process is usually like, oh, that seems cool. I have no idea how to do that. And then I just kind of bang my head against the wall until I figure it out. It just is what it is. And sometimes it turns out cool, and sometimes it doesn’t. It’s just like that kind of DIY thing that. That’s how our band’s always been. It’s just kind of how I personally like to do stuff. I don’t know, I watch a lot of YouTube videos and try to make stuff.
So you’re about to head out on a huge North American tour, though, notably, you’re not coming to Vancouver.
I know. What the fuck.
That’s a big problem for me. I’m feeling personally victimized by this.
It’s so weird. We did play there before. In 2023, we played the Rickshaw I think.
Which is my favorite venue in all of Vancouver. And I wasn’t able to make it to that show. So I’m like double upset about this new tour.
That was a great show.
Rub it in, why don’t you.
I wonder if there’s another plan that hasn’t been announced yet, that maybe we were saving that for because we had gone there not that long ago. I have a feeling we’re gonna play there soon. I’m not hinting at anything. I’m not being cheeky. Vancouver has always been a really good city for us. We wouldn’t just skip it. I feel like there’s a reason it’s not on there.
[Laughing] We’re gonna do a week-long tour, just in Vancouver. Every night.
I’ll come to every single show.
Sick [laughs].
Which songs are you most excited to play in front of the crowds? Knowing this is a record that you’ve designed to be played live. What are the top songs?
I’m really excited for SAD KIDS. We’ve kind of played that one live. There’s like, three songs that we’ve been playing live that have been going well. Like, NUDGE has been nuts. That song’s been out for a while, but that’s been probably the funnest song to play. I’m very excited for, GET OFF MY WAVE. I think SAD KIDS has been fun. It’s like a fun, dancey kind of vibe. There’s this song called CHANGE on the new record that I think will probably go off. It’s kind of just like a big, I don’t know, big, boomy rocker.
It’ll be fun to try them out. It’s kind of fun to see which ones as a band translate which ones pump us up because I feel it, or which ones pump up the crowd. If we’re pumped, they’re pumped. If they’re pumped, we’re pumped. We’re not really precious, we’re not like, oh, I really want to play this one. I hope they like it.
Do you find that your show will change drastically then from set to set, day to day? Or do you have more of a roughly planned out setlist?
We don’t deviate too much. I imagine it’s like doing a standup special, where you have your tight hour. It might shift a little bit, but you want to do a good show, so you stick with what works. On the last tour, we got bored of doing the same set, and it was a solid, really tight set, and we were like, let’s play it backwards. And we just started with the end and went to the beginning. I feel like it just depends. You know, sometimes it’s like, if it’s going too well, that little punk kid in the three of us starts jumping around and going like, fuck it up! [Laughs]
So for anybody who hasn’t seen FIDLAR live, what can they expect if they’re going to come out and see you guys on tour?
I mean, as much energy as we can possibly expel. To me, it’s become more like we’re the orchestra – the show is the crowd, in my opinion. We’re just supporting the audience in a kind of weird way. The more interesting stuff is happening in the crowd. [Laughs]
People are in there undressing and throwing each other around. Or like throwing shoes around, but like giving each other hugs and crying and laughing and looking insane, but so happy.That’s way more interesting than what I’m playing on bass.
Yeah, the energy at punk shows is unmatched. I saw IDLES recently –
Oh, yeah!
– just so much fun.
So good! So, yeah, I think just energy, it’s just, it’s a lot of fun. Some people are like, am I gonna get hurt? Is it crazy? And it’s like, it’s the most posy, happy thing ever. Our fans are sweethearts, and they might be a little wild, but it’s never a dangerous punk show. It’s like a very happy, oh yeah, like hugs and like fun and a little bit of debauchery.
I got knocked down in a mosh recently, and then I had like six people picking me up [both laugh].
Which is like the coolest thing. I think for a long time it wasn’t a safe space for everyone and we’ve tried to make it a safer space for people. We do things like an all-girls mosh pit for certain songs, and like, dudes get out of the way, let someone else have a moment. Not in a preachy or heavy way, but in a hey, let’s try something else, and it works and it’s so fun, and it makes it even crazier.
Yeah! Like the more inclusive it is, the more comfortable people feel at the show.
Exactly! Like, now I can let my hair down, or whatever. Or get drunk and not worry about it. Because now I don’t have to worry someone’s gonna punch me in the head.
Yeah. You’re free to fuck shit up – FSU.
FIDLAR’s new record SURVIVING THE DREAM is out tomorrow.
Follow FIDLAR @fidlar
Interview Kendall Saretsk
Photography Alice Baxley