Track By Tracks: Fugue State – In The Lurch (2025)

1. MOOT POINT:

Shane: A song that started with a guitar riff. Sets the stage for the rest of the album, short and sweet, with clean guitar, and minimal effects.

Jon: One of the few Shane wrote but didn't demo (at least not at first) and was a little easier to add our touches to it. Things like my snare hit in the chorus or syncing up in the intro.

Gage: This and “Facts” feel most like singles to me; they're both punchy, straight forward and catchy. Initially I tried out some fills for the bridge when it was first coming together, but I think what makes this work so well is its simplicity. There were some organ sounds we threw in (through a distorted Peavey amp, still waiting for our endorsement) and somehow I ended up being tasked with playing them in the end; as a non-keyboardist, it might’ve been the most nerve-racking part of making the record.

2. IN THE LURCH:

Shane: A late addition to this batch of songs that ultimately became the album’s namesake. I wrote this last January while I was recovering from eye surgery and couldn’t see anything. It’s not really about that though, just sort of came out of that experience. The 11th-hour addition of Vigilance Brandon on trumpet really punches it up to the next level.

Gage: I remember thinking that this had a bastardized surf rock feel when Shane sent us a demo. I think this and “Joie De Vivre” were born out of his crazy Soviet fuzz wah. RIP.

3. THE PIPELINE:

Shane: First of a few songs that carry over from the EP revisited with the band. Centered around a single droning note, repetition is both a music motif and ties in with the lyrical theme of being unable to leave your hometown and being forced through its mold. Draws inspiration from krautrock giants like Can and Neu, maybe a little Joy Division is thrown in there too.

Jon: Shane must have just been determined to write a weirdly intricate complicated song and it's great and fun to play. The beat is fun to play, although live we've jived it up a little. I think it's about Pittsfield? Of the few lyrics I always make out it reminds me of the area and the despair of alienation that tends to permeate the air there. A less weird way of saying that: there are a couple lines that somehow remind me of a literal interaction I once had that hit home the terror of "you'll never get out of your hometown".

Gage: Easily my favorite to play live (especially when we extend the intro). I love that Krautrock thing where there's one static element that the band plays around. For the recording, I brought in my Arturia Microbrute which Shane played while both me and Jon twisted some knobs for some cool synth accents.

4. MUNDANE MAN:

Shane: This is the first song I wrote for what would eventually become Fugue State. Largely an admission of my own imposter syndrome. Wednesday Knudsen played sax on the EP version and we knew we wanted to bring her back for the album.

Jon: I like the idea behind this song. I love songs about mundane things or even about "things". Materialism is nigh unavoidable, and much of life is boring and plain for every human being, so much so that we almost worship those who lead unique, interesting distinct, visceral lives and this includes artists. Way to go to make a song that proudly states the opposite and even invites you to share your story, insisting "Now tell me about you!" Musically on record, there are embellishments that are an homage to The Stooges. Live we slow it down and rinse it with a butt-rock swagger.

Gage: The original EP version had this super blown-out sound so I tried to evoke that by making the most hideous fuzz tone I could. Another really fun one to play live that rarely misses a setlist.

5. I’LL KEEP IT IN MIND:

Shane: When I first wrote this it was like 2 minutes long. The sprawling 9-minute version we recorded for this record attempts to capture the kind of improvisation we brought to this track during our live performances. I think it really showcases the whole band pretty well.

Jon: This came later than I don't wanna be here but maybe at the same time as Moot Point? I think the lyrics are about the music scene (or someone in it?) idk Jeff Gallagher once said it's our Tour Rider (Bridge of Flowers song transparently about the aches and pains of being in a band). Musically it's ambitious. A slow built-up start, fanfare-like and ostentatious, and then an explosion into the garage-jam meat of the whole thing in the middle. Similar tight-rope for me of maintaining the energy, helping Shane make his best noises and Gage pull along the heart of it all. Live I can't tell if it's any better to go nuts or just lay back and let the guys have fun. Maybe I should get weird with it more and then we'll see what REAL fun is, hahaha... And it comes to a nice soft landing, back where we started like a rock and roll rollercoaster.

Gage: I still don't know how we turned this into a 9+ minute long track, but I like how it catches people off guard when they just expect us to belt out two-minute-long punk songs. That bass riff when the solos start might be my favorite to play. This one finally allowed me to justify my purchasing of a Korg MS-20 by throwing in a little synth solo towards the end. It's been collecting dust ever since.

6. FACTS:

Shane: Written from the perspective of someone trapped in a confirmation bias bubble trying to escape. The sudden switch in the intro from mono cassette tape recording to stereo digital recording attempts to convey that sorta. One of the first I wrote, and one of my favorites to play live.

Jon: First song we learned. Very similar to the tape, if not faster. We did a weird thing on record where we processed it to sound like it is the tape take and then it morphs into the LP version. It's a nice upbeat song regarding anxiety and being earnest.

Gage: The original Fugue State song, and proof that a harmonica can, in fact, sound cool.

7. JOIE DE VIVRE:

Shane: I came up with this when I first got my Poltava Fuzz Wah - a really bizarre Soviet-made pedal from the 70s that has since crapped out on me but is featured all over this record. It loosely tells the story of two people disillusioned with the false promise of the American Dream. I like to think the folks who built that pedal would appreciate that.

Jon: Existential despair or something, missing out on the joys of life while toiling away behind a desk. The rebellious youth of Japan would dig it. Musically it's got a neat flow. I barely hit any cymbals, I like songs where that's the case. Shane gets to use his cool fuzz wah, and Gage rocks a tight bass riff leading the way, what's not to love?

Gage: A great showcase for the Phone Mic, the bane of every sound guy.

8. CONNECTICUT GIRLS:

Shane: The chorus is a half-serious direct response to the chorus of the Beach Boys’ “California Girls.” The rest of the song is kinda built around the idea of being the antithesis of that particular song. Don’t think too hard about it.

Jon: I love the idea of bastardizing California Girls into Connecticut Girls, but lord knows whether Shane is dreaming of them or if he just had an awkward encounter with someone, or is personifying his gripes with the state in song. Musically this song tests my athleticism and therefore I respect it.

Gage: This one is just all riffs jammed into a short song. Sounds great but probably the toughest to record, especially with the guitar and bass playing a lot in unison.

9. I DON’T WANNA BE HERE:

Shane: The first song we all put together as a band after the EP. Often played at shows after telling people “It’s good to be here.” Jon had a big part in writing the instrumental part in the middle.

Jon: One of the first songs we wrote after learning the ones on Shane's tape. Honestly one of my favorites. Most songs should be attempts to plunge into the id, or to represent it. Any song that takes even a halfway-decent stab at a sentiment is worth listening to and the cry of "I don't want to be here anymore" is one I and many others can get behind when life lands us somewhere we'd much rather not be. It was an exciting song to write and play, and as a drummer-in-training I respect the challenge this song provides as far as guiding the immense amount of energy that we gradually build into a climactic ending. It's like walking a tightrope to do it right but if we do the payoff is pure.

Gage: I think it was Jon who came up with the idea of the intro, with that and the bridge this song is like 80% build-up. Who doesn't love a good build-up (or two)?

10. ABSCESS:

Shane: A stew that starts at a slow simmer and eventually boils over and sets the whole kitchen on fire. Another long track features a good amount of improvisation by the band. Once we figured out the structure, we somehow nailed it on the first take, which is what you hear on the record. Gage’s bass lines hold everything together. Horns were added later - both Wednesday and Vigil play on this one. The spoken word vocals reflect the overall themes of the album and are sung through a lo-fi mic I built from an old telephone handset.

Jon: This song. It was just a long verse for a while and then Shane came up with a second part but we had no idea how to graft it on. I painstakingly hit the woodshed on this before our recording session, and the day of need to both A) write out this damn things architecture and B) take a massive shit to clear my mind and body in order to properly execute the structure of the song. The take you hear is the first take we completed, after a handful of false starts or flubbed riffs or whatever. It sounds like it's about brain rot and social media? I dunno but Shane blithering into a phone is a great concept for a song. We should do more stuff like it.

Gage: Another song that mutated into a lumbering beast. I think on the EP Shane had a bass synth effect going on so tried out a bunch of different sounds to make it as weird as I could. That B part was added much later by Shane, it sounds like something you'd hear in a Sabbath song. We hadn't even been a band for a year when we started recording so I was nervous about this one but after a few false start,s we did this in the first go. No idea how but it just worked and we didn't even bother trying a second take