FCUKERS - Ö

Fcukers – not "Fuckers", their name is an intentional typo – are, in 2026, only four years after forming, now down to just two members: Jackson Walker Lewis, producer and instrumentalist, and Shanny Wise, vocalist and already the band's de facto "face." Former co-founder and drummer Ben Scharf left at the end of 2024, but that hasn't stopped the remaining duo from quickly making a name for themselves and carving out their own space in the New York alternative scene, halfway between indie, punk and electronic music, rapidly becoming one of the most talked-about new names of the mid-decade.

The attitude is the typically bohemian one, very NYC, somewhere between a Julian Casablancas, a Karen O and a The Dare – not to mention his majesty James Murphy of Lcd Soundsystem, their clear reference point, with whom they've already collaborated on a remix. Singer Shanny Wise, in particular, gives the project a sardonic, provocative character with vocal performances ranging from bored to mysterious, but always delivered in a disenchanted, direct style — not exactly joyful, but at times genuinely explosive. A comparison could be drawn, strictly on the vocal side, with Biig Piig: the melismas and melodious runs of mainstream pop are a world away.

The singer's style pairs well with the productions of her colleague Lewis, who, in shaping the duo's tracks, compresses disparate influences drawn in equal measure from dancefloor house, early-2000s alternative electroclash, indietronica and a certain abrasive, grayish rock that, again, harks back to the 2000s — a trend that, these days, is hardly a minority taste. After just six singles and a single Ep – "Baggy$$", 2024 – the duo hastily arrive at their 2026 debut with an album bearing a suitably terse title: "Ö".

It's not just the title that's short: the album runs a mere 28 minutes, with eleven succinct but incisive tracks, among which the duo wisely chose not to include any pre-2025 singles. Also left out is the cult mini-hit "Homie Don't Shake", the song that, more than any other, put them on the map, as the saying goes. The material here is instead all new, fresh and inviting: essential, decisive rhythms, direct and skeletal productions favoring bass and distortion, and pronounced 2000s atmospheres that recall, more than the New York godfathers, certain European tech-house acts like Digitalism, Mason, Mylo or early Justice.

There's always room for eclectic detours and explorations, though, for instance in the bubblegum accents of the airy "Butterflies", a track in the vein of Piri & Tommy; in the unsettling, almost "dark" character of "If You Wanna Party, Come Over To My House"; in the exotic, Eastern-tinged fantasy of the opening track, "Beatback".

Elsewhere they go even further, almost in search of a nihilistic a-musicality that truly recalls the 2000s in more than just theory: "Play Me" is a case in point, with powerful basslines that immediately bring good old Mr. Oizo to mind.

One of the strongest tracks is definitely “L.U.C.K.Y.”, whose acronym-style title already nods to Justice's famous “D.A.N.C.E.”, and it comes close to it in sound too, with a very similar house approach that is - let's be honest, given that we're talking about an alternative act - downright “commercial”. The same goes for “I Like It Like That”, melodic and danceable, further proof that despite their musically “challenging” output, Lewis and Wise know exactly how to write a song for the masses.

Among the other tracks, also worth noting is the interlude “Shake It Up”, an almost jester-like divertissement that recalls the rhythm-texture-obsessed style of 2010s French duo The Dø; the reggae-adjacent experiment of “TTYGF” - impossible not to think of Major Lazer; and the folk/jungle detour of “Getaway”, a track with strong acid touches - it would fit right in on a Basement Jaxx record - and psychedelic ones, suggesting a strong desire to try new things and push beyond what is, stylistically, an already superb starting point. This is also shown by the “noble” closer “Feel The Real”, a decidedly more author-driven and elegant piece, with soul and urban influences, in which Shanny Wise truly shines vocally like a Róisín Murphy: it really does sound like Moloko or Everything But The Girl - so here we're decidedly more in the 90s than the 00s, and in trip-hop territory.

The final impression is of a duo that wants to convey a certain sense of themselves without, for the time being, intending to “show all their cards”, so to speak. In other words: Fcukers, as this debut album makes clear, are much more than what they currently seem willing to let us hear. On “Ö” the tracks flow into one another seamlessly and naturally, proving the construction of a style that is solid and, however multifaceted, coherent and assured. While on the surface the group's approach seems very “punk”, the nuances explored across the tracklist reveal plural influences and unexpected ideas, as well as a clear ambition to make music that can, sooner or later, break free of the confines of the club scene. And it really does seem that these two - both nearing thirty - have everything it takes. Whether they'll actually turn out to be a game-changing project or remain just a minor, “cult” name in 2020s alternative music is something only time will tell.

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11/04/2026