F... Up

Canadian band F---ed Up occupied a unique place in the indie-rock realm, channeling the influences of '80s hardcore punk and '90s alt rock through a modern sensibility that was sometimes iconoclastic to the point of willful absurdity. But for a band possessed of such overt bloody-mindedness, they managed to become surprisingly popular. The group was formed in Toronto in 2001 and though initial roles shifted at first they settled into a roster of Mike Haliechuck and Josh Zucker on guitar, Sandy Miranda on bass, Damian Abraham on vocals, and Jonah Falco on drums. Starting in 2002, the band released a long string of singles, some on small indie labels and some on their own. This practice would continue throughout much of F---ed Up's career, even after they'd found a home on a high-profile label. In 2006 they released their first full-length album, Hidden World, on Jade Tree, an indie label with major distribution. By '07 the band had a three-guitar assault with the addition of guitarist Ben Cook to the lineup. In 2007 and '08, the band delivered chaotic, controversial live performances on MTV Canada, establishing their reputation as rebels. Nevertheless, before 2008 was out, F---ed Up had signed with the renowned Matador Records and released their second album, The Chemistry of Common Life, which earned the band more attention than ever before. In 2009, F---ed Up won Canada's coveted Polaris Music Prize. Their second LP for Matador, 2011's David Comes to Life, was their first to chart, hitting the top 100 albums in the U.S. and Canada. They were nominated for the Polaris once again in 2012, though this time they didn't win it. The band's 2014 follow-up, Glass Boys, was similarly successful. By 2018 F---ed Up had moved operations to another legendary U.S. indie label, Merge Records, which released their fifth album, Dose Your Dreams.