It’s pronounced “fuckers”. This is instructive, in terms of the level of subtlety you can expect from this Brooklyn duo. Fcukers‘ debut EP, 2024’s ‘Baggy$$’, was an unapologetic affair, in terms of the nagging simplicity of its melodies, how openly it wore its influences on its sleeve, and how little interest it had in being anything other than music to dance to.
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With only a handful of songs to their name and shows under their belt, they found themselves playing to star-studded audiences at events like Paris Fashion Week. No sooner had they begun than the Fcukers hype train flew out of the station, which is appropriate – they make immediate music, songs that aim to engage the body before the brain’s had the chance to catch up.
On their debut album, ‘Ö’, there is evidence of refinement, at an opportune time; their already-fast upward trajectory threatens to go stratospheric in the coming months, when they open stadium shows for Harry Styles in Brazil. If this feels an incongruous pairing, the connective tissue is that Styles has cited LCD Soundsystem as a key influence on his latest album, one that NME picked up on in our review. While his new music might have shades of LCD, Fcukers’ does in abundance, in both its sound – squelchy synths, pulsing beats – and its willingness to borrow; ‘Ö’ has that James Murphy-esque sense of somebody showing off the stylistic breadth of their record collection.
They do this compellingly, refracting diffuse influences through the prism of present-day club culture in a way that makes the record feel satisfyingly cohesive. ‘Play Me’ is a skittering dub track, and thus of a piece with the unabashed reggae stylings of ‘TTYGF’. Alongside that are pointed throwbacks to the ’90s (closer ‘Feel the Real’ is indebted to the trip hop of Portishead’s ‘Dummy’) and the noughties (the taut dance-pop of ‘If You Wanna Party Come Over To My House’ and ‘L.U.C.K.Y.’ suggest that the much-vaunted indie sleaze revival continues apace). There is still room for reference to their contemporaries, too; ‘Lonely’ is Clairo on uppers.
Crucially, all of these feel like Fcukers tracks; the whole thing is bound together by their sonic DNA, which is a combination of Shanny Wise’s versatile vocals and their sharp ear for melodies that continue to gnaw at you long after this lean, quick-fire album is over. ‘Ö’ is fast-acting and short-lived, and there is a temptation to wonder how well, in the long-term, it will hold up to repeat listens. To dwell on that, though, would be to misunderstand an album that is about feeling, rather than thinking.
Details
- Record label: Ninja Tune
- Release date: March 27, 2026