Ford’s Fuzz Inferno

Reviews

Ford’s Fuzz Inferno Fuzz Up Your Electric Chair, Baby! (Live at Studio 195) CD

Over the past three years, this act has blasted release after release at MRR with reckless abandon—we’ve done seven(!) reviews for them in that time, with six different reviewers being caught in the spray (poor Ron got hit twice!). I figured it  was just a matter of time before I needed to pay the piper, and, well, here we are. If you’re new to all of this, allow me to summarize: a couple of Dutch punks who’ve been active in the scene since the early ’80s start a studio recording project, playing garage-leaning punk. They love fuzz and hate the bass guitar. My fellow reviewers all agree that these dudes aren’t reinventing any wheels, but they really manage to crank out quite a beefy ruckus—thanks to all the fuzz, I guess! Some folks seem to like it; others seem to think it’s solid but unremarkable. At best, I fall in the latter camp. Anyhoo, this is a live studio recording, where they’ve added a third person to play second guitar. They run through eleven tracks, most of which come from their previous seven releases, in about twenty minutes. And I dunno. This just sounds like generic old-guy punk to me. I was fine putting it on and not paying attention to it, even thinking things like “this kinda rocks” every now and then. But every so often shit would start sounding a little too much like BAD RELIGION, and that I could not ignore.

Ford’s Fuzz Inferno War, Peace & Fuzz EP

With a name like FORD’S FUZZ INFERNO, I was expecting something doomy. What we’re treated to here, though, is some good old-fashioned anti-war pop punk from the Netherlands. I’d say that’s just as good. Very reminiscent of BAD RELIGION and all the other classic bands you’re all familiar with. Nothing really groundbreaking here, but it’s catchy and recorded very well. Recommended if you’re nostalgic for the skate punk of the ’90s and have a hatred of armed conflict (which I assume includes all of us at this point).

Ford’s Fuzz Inferno Eternal Circles of Fuzz EP

One of these Dutch punkers must have pals at the pressing plant, as this is their fifth vinyl EP in barely three years. In case you haven’t been listening, this is a two-man band featuring former members of SCOUNDRELS and WASTE, and their sound is a less punk and more garage version of those bands. Yes, there’s tons of fuzz and it’s very Dutch in sound. Reading their Bandcamp page, they’re really good at tooting their own collective horns with over the top self masturbatory praise like “These tracks pretty much sound like they were culled from a killer, semi-psychedelic score for an imaginary 1970 low-budget exploitation biker movie.” No, for real! None of this is bad at all, and I find myself primarily intrigued with the closing, mostly instrumental (minus dog barks and growls) “Fuzz Dogs” with it’s “Rock’n’Roll High School” Nick Knox drumbeat over some really nice early CRAMPS-meets-SUICIDE fuzz. Check it.

Ford’s Fuzz Inferno Death to the Fuzz Family EP

Hans F. Ford and Patrick Delabie have been kicking around the Dutch punk scene for decades. Ford played guitar in WASTE, whose 1982 EP History Repeats is an undeniably killer record—due in no small part to the thick fuzztone that envelops the tunes. Forty-one years later, that same velcro buzz is blasting forth from FORD’S FUZZ INFERNO. Despite playing as a two-piece, FORD’S FUZZ INFERNO has a very full, layered sound with multiple tracks of harmonizing vocals and guitars. The name may lead you to believe that you’re in for some lo-fi garage punk revival, but that is not the case. On the contrary, the production value is rather slick. Stylistically, this bears far more resemblance to BETTY FORD CLINIC, Ford and Delabie’s eclectic ’90s endeavor. In fact, for as much as it is heralded as the quintessential element of the band, the fuzz often feels at odds with both the production and the songs themselves. Though clearly crafted by a deft hand, I have to wonder if a cut like “My Reality” would be more impactful if the instrumentation was more discernible. A heretical thought if there ever were one! Death to the Fuzz Family reminds me of a less sophisticated MARTHA’S VINEYARD FERRIES. I don’t mean that as a slight; sophistication is for the birds. My problem is that I’m still trying to determine exactly who FORD’S FUZZ INFERNO is for.  

Ford’s Fuzz Inferno Fuzz the Universe! EP

The music here is really driven by the roaring guitar. It sets the pace for the rhythm section rather than vice versa. It’s big, static-y, and yes, “fuzzy.” The band injected a few trad rock’n’roll elements: notes running down the scale and the occasional tamborine. The medieval imagery on this release (and all their others) adds a fun, out of left-field vibe to the music.

Ford’s Fuzz Inferno The Book of Fuzz: Selected Verses (Part 1) CD

Two excellent EPs from 2021 on one little encoded piece of plastic for your bopping pleasure. Dutch duo FORD’S FUZZ INFERNO pretty much sounds like their moniker—walls of garage-damaged, blasted combo amp guitars topped with sweet in-your-face croons; these chaps serve up hit after should-be hit. They don’t rely on the heaviness, but they get there because they just want to crank the shit out of those guitars, you know…to fuzz ‘em up. Fans of RADIOACTIVITY and the like may find familiar hooks in here, but FORD’S FUZZ INFERNO is a stripped-down model—getting straight to business with none of the excess.

 

Ford’s Fuzz Inferno Flog Yourself With Fuzz EP

This is the second EP from this pair of ancient Dutch punkers, and it’s a fairly good listen, if not at all being my thing. These two gents have played in WASTE, BETTY FORD CLINIC, and SCOUNDRELS, some of which you may have heard of. It’s fuzzily distorted and catchy as all hell, maybe like a punker and meaner CAMPER VAN BEETHOVEN, MUDHONEY, or SMASHING PUMPKINS. It’s definitely worth a whirl. Yay.

Ford’s Fuzz Inferno Deniers of Fuzz Will Be Executed EP

This Dutch drums-and-guitar duo bashes out five garage punk bangers in about five minutes. This is immediately catchy and likeable, proving you don’t have to reinvent the wheel to make something great. “Neon Sky” sounds like the SPITS and demands to be played at max volume. “What Do You Feel?” has Johnny Ramone power chords and a JAY REATARD-style chorus breakdown. The title track is an instrumental with surf rock drums that sounds like the soundtrack to something incredible. Every track is stripped-down, no-bullshit rock’n’roll, and it rules. There is a timeless quality to these songs, and each concentrated capsule of punk joy sounds like it could have been written any time during the last 50 years. Highly recommended.