Kevin Bronson on January 10th, 2019

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Since they first started singing the praises of “Cheap Beer” seven years ago, FIDLAR have grown from young, irascible skate-punks to, well, older, irascible skate-punks. They’ve been jokey and deadly serious through that humor; they’ve orchestrated all-girl mosh pits and hosted general chaos; they’ve grown up and (outwardly, anyhow) resisted doing so; and they’ve proven the veracity in the slogan from the acronymic name, “Fuck It Dog, Life’s a Risk.” And the quartet has breathed life into pop-punk formulas left for dead a decade ago.

FIDLAR’s third full-length “Almost Free” arrives Jan. 25, catchy and miserablist and potty-mouthed as anything they’ve done, not to mention a notch more sophisticated. It’s more than throwing a half-full can of beer against a wall, although, man, that feels good sometimes.

“‘Almost Free’ feels like a step forward for us in a lot of ways,” guitarist Elvis Kuehn says. “We tried to be true to ourselves and let the music come out naturally, without fear of how people would receive it.” Says frontman Zac Carper, “A lot of the vibe was, ‘Well, why can’t we do that? Why can’t we have horns? Why can’t we have key changes? Why can’t we have a harmonica loop?’”

They still have that sense of humor. “Well, I’m cracking one open with the boys / by myself,” Carper chuckles in the opening of the new single “By Myself.” The funny, four-panel video features the the guys — Carper, Brandon Schwartzel and Elvis and Max Kuehn — having a drink — with (virtually, of course) a lot of other people. Enjoy the cameos from: No Parents, Criminal Hygiene, Danny Bengston (of Together Pangea), Kelsey Reckling (and Bocky), Cadien (of Twin Peaks), the Side Eyes, Benjamin Booker, Sunny War, Matthew Zuk, Brian Rodriguez, the Frights, No Win, John Doe and DJ Bonebrake (X), Tropa Magica, Zachary “Penske” Cox, Misses Joseph Herzog, Shelly Schimek, Nate Mercereau, Culture Abuse, Barbara (@poserfeel), Alice Baxley, SWMRS, The McGinnis Family, NOBRO, Dicky Presto, Jimmy Russo, Ronald Ray-Gun, FIDIOTS, Dune Rats, Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist (The Hives), Matt Caughthran (The Bronx), Dave Catching (Eagles of Death Metal), Jonah Ray and Taran Killam.

Then FaceTime somebody and have a toast.

||| Watch: The video for “By Myself”

||| Also: Stream “Can’t You See” and “Too Real”

||| Live: FIDLAR plays the Echo on Jan. 25 and the Teragram Ballroom on Jan. 26. Both shows are sold out. They do an in-store at Amoeba at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 24 (the album will be available there a day early).

||| Previously: Live at the Palladium.