photo by XiaTieNiu
Wenzhou, China-based alt/grunge rock duo FUCK YOUR BIRTHDAY presents BBQd, a new three-song EP, out everywhere digitally today on Nefarious Industries.
Formed in 2012, FUCK YOUR BIRTHDAY first existed as a trio, with vocalist/guitarist Christopher Henry and drummer Roman Meisenberg joined by bassist/vocalist Michelle Fincham on their January 2014 debut EP, The Cymbal Barks Louder Than You. Following its release, the band forted onward as a duo, and embarked on the Jet-lag Revival Tour, followed by the Li EP in October 2014. June 2015 saw the release of the Future Teller EP, at which point the band began working on material for a full-length record.
FUCK YOUR BIRTHDAY’s debut LP, Touchless Automatic, was released in April 2016, as Henry accepted a job as an ESL teacher in Wenzhou, China. April of 2017 saw Meisenberg travel to Wenzhou for the band’s first international tour, Spring Roll 2017, which hit eight cities over two weeks across Southern China. In October 2017, Meisenberg returned to Wenzhou to play more shows and work on new material, a selection of which saw release in June 2018, as Maydays, which was followed by the Maydays Tour.
On July 12th 2019, FUCK YOUR BIRTHDAY released a split 7” EP with China-based Space Monkey, that same day launching a three-week US tour, which was immediately followed shows in China with Space Monkey. While additional touring and recording was being planned for later that year, the band was at the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic in China. Having remained fairly silent since, the band released a new single “House Of 1000 Corners,” as part of the Nefarious Industries label compilation celebrating its 100th release, NEF100: Burn After Hearing.
Now, FUCK YOUR BIRTHDAY follows that single with the BBQd EP. Recently released digitally solely in China, the record is now available across all digital platforms to the rest of the world. Succinct and lively, the EP packs a plethora of hook-snagged grungy rock into the three new songs. BBQd was recorded by the band in Wenzhou, mixed by David Klug, mastered by Bill Henderson at Azimuth Mastering, and completed with photography by XiaTieNiu. Fans of Dinosaur Jr., Fugazi, Sonic Youth, Death From Above 1979, Royal Blood, Tera Melos, Whores., Primus, Refused, and Chevelle should definitely check out FUCK YOUR BIRTHDAY.
Christopher Henry writes, “In recent years, a meme spread around China in which a man autotune-croons, ‘完啦, Barbecue啦’ over clips of fails or awkward situations. It basically means, ‘oh shit, I’m cooked.’ With that sentiment in mind, we’ve imagined a character that lives in that kind of world and ties these three songs together. He always seems to get himself stuck in rocky hard places. He succumbs to alcoholism on ‘Moonshine’ as he isolates himself outside of an unspecified rural Appalachian town. Then he finds himself in an awkward situation trying to reconcile his strict notions of masculinity with a kiss between buddies on ‘Propane Accessories.’ This leads to an overcompensation in violent crime that lands our protagonist in prison. ‘Repeat Offender’ is the final (yet not so final) act of this vicious circle. In a world where mass-shootings, police-brutality, and bigotry in our culture becomes motif rather than outlier, we are all BBQd.”
The band filmed a video for “Repeat Offender,” about which Henry writes, “One might associate motif with highly respected art, but who’s to say that it can’t be used to describe depravity? This short ditty aims to hold a mirror up to horrors of the world that have become motif in modern times. Musically, it pulls inspiration from nu metal, boom-bap, and noise rock. It’s extremely fun to play live, even if it leaves audiences stunned by its brevity.”
Watch FUCK YOUR BIRTHDAY’s “Repeat Offender” video and find the entire BBQd EP on all streaming platforms now at the Nefarious Industries portal RIGHT HERE and Bandcamp HERE.
Videos for the remaining two tracks on the EP will drop over the weeks ahead. Watch for additional recording and live updates on the band to be issued over the coming months as well.
BBQd Track Listing:
1. Moonshine
2. Propane Accessories
3. Repeat Offender
https://fuckyourbirthday.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/fckyourbirthday
https://www.instagram.com/fuckyourbirthdayband
https://nefariousindustries.com
https://nefariousindustries.bandcamp.com
https://facebook.com/nefariousIndustries
https://instagram.com/nefarious_industries
https://x.com/NefariousInd