Glass Boys

Though they’ve long been classified as a hardcore band, Toronto’s Fucked Up are far more progressive and artsy underneath the hoarse, passionate shouts of singer Damian Abraham. He may be the band’s heart and conscience—the member who still most believes in the importance of having a band name that limits your mainstream success—and it may be that sincerity that guarantees the group their cultural relevance. Yet it’s the three-guitar attack of Ben Cook, Mike Haliechuk, and Josh Zucker, plus the tricky rhythm section of bassist Sandy Miranda and drummer Jonah Falco, that guarantee both aggression and layers of sound that are thick enough to transcend the genre. Songs like “Sun Glass,” “The Great Divide," and the title track provide old punks with the catharsis they crave and prog kids with the subtle sound experiments they love. The group's previous release, David Comes to Life, was a concept album, but 2014’s Glass Boys is the album most about the band—one heading into midlife wondering how to avoid the pitfalls of the "real world" and of remaining true to a vision that changes over the decades.