Call it a time capsule, an homage or poking fun even, but looking back on the 90s through the eyes of a decade and a half can be tricky. Especially since so many of these songs still live with us. Deny all you like, but really promising (critically loved) bands from the early 2000’s like Franz Ferdinand, Block Party, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Arcade Fire and perhaps The Strokes (all bands near and dear to my heart) have made some amazing albums, perform amazing shows and have a place among music culture, but you will never hear those songs as many times as you will hear “Wrong Way” by Sublime or “Dani California” by…you know who. The Killers are the one exception to this rule, but do you really even need to hear “Bones” again? No, you don’t.
That brings us to the new track from FIDLAR, “40oz. on Repeat.” Ugh, if only “40oz. to Freedom” stuck like “Santeria” did. If only. In a cardboard montage of 90’s music videos akin to something Michel Gondry would have directed 10 years ago, FIDLAR take us through videos from Suicidal Tendencies, Sugar Ray, Missy Elliot and more. Rebellion became mainstream in the 90s and ripe for a heavy dose of commercialization and so it was. Hot Topic emerged and while I can always find a Green Day shirt there I can never seem to spot a Smashmouth one. Go figure. It took Don Draper 7 seasons of “Mad Men” to really crack that code wide open.
In this video, it’s hard to tell to if FIDLAR are making fun of the bands they chose to parody…until you get to the payoff, Britney Spears. Then you know. They must think it’s all shit. Maybe they aren’t wrong as repetition makes the heart grow more familiar. Keep an eye out for a FIDLAR shirt next time you are in Hot Topic.
Or maybe it’s just a good time.
Bonus! If you like that, you will like this, too!
