Influenced by SoCal punk rockers like Offspring and blink-182, as well as older bands from the area (which they learned about from their dad's record collection; he was the guitarist of T.S.O.L.), Max Kuehn (drums) and his brother Elvis (guitar/vocals) were playing punk shows around L.A. by their teens. By the time they were out of high school, guitarist/vocalist Zac Carper and bassist Brandon Schwartzel had joined up. Later the group went the independent route and started a homespun label to record material, while embracing the reaches of the Internet and making several videos to promote their music and as motivation to film their drunken antics.
Mom & Pop signed them in 2012 for their debut album, FIDLAR, which was released in early 2013. The album debuted at number five on the Billboard Heatseekers chart and number two on the Alternative New Artist chart, and was the number one most added release at CMJ. After touring the world with bands like the Pixies, the Hives, Black Lips, and Wavves, the band ended up back home in need of a break. After starting a new album, but finding the songs and self-produced sound too FIDLAR-y for their liking, Carper headed out on a road trip, wrote a new batch of songs inspired by the music of his youth -- Elvis Kuehn and Schwartzel wrote some too -- and the band headed to Nashville to try again with producer Jay Joyce.
The resulting album, 2015's Too, featured a more mature outlook and some musical muscle, topping Billboard's Heatseekers chart and charting well in the U.K. and Australia. Following tours for Too, FIDLAR remained relatively quiet for a period, eventually beginning work on album number three with Ricky Reed, a producer better known for his work with mainstream pop acts like Kesha and Halsey. After a handful of advance singles in 2018, the band's third LP, Almost Free, was released in January 2019.
Biography by Jason Lymangrover
Cheap Beer
Fidlar Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Busting down the street while cruising Alvarado
Getting fucked up on the 101
Shootin' our guns and having fun
Forty beers later and a line of speed
Eight ball of blow and a half a pound of weed
Heading down the track to Mexico
Fucked on beer and staying gold
I drink cheap beer
So what? Fuck you
I drink cheap beer
So what? Fuck you
As I was saying all that shit like that Vietnam shit
Beer's always better with a bag around it
Dan's in the back puking on my seat
But he was drinking cheap beer, it's okay by me
Supposed to be in Santa Monica at 8 AM
Fuck the clock and drink red again
Twenty three years I've been drinking cheap beer
Sixty one more, but from a liquor store
I drink cheap beer
So what? Fuck you
I drink cheap beer
So what? Fuck you
I drink cheap beer
So what? Fuck you
I drink cheap beer
So what? Fuck you
The song "Cheap Beer" by FIDLAR is an upbeat and high energy punk rock anthem about the joys and consequences of getting drunk on cheap beer with friends. The lyrics describe the band members and their friends driving around in a beat-up car, drinking cheap beer, doing drugs, and having fun. The singer even mentions shooting guns, which is a nod to the reckless, wild behavior associated with this kind of lifestyle. The line "heading down the track to Mexico" suggests that they are on a dangerous and wild road trip to escape their mundane lives and obligations.
The chorus of "I drink cheap beer, so what? Fuck you" is a rebellious attitude that speaks to the outsider mentality of punk rock culture. The song is not necessarily glorifying getting drunk or doing drugs but is a celebration of the freedom and intensity of youth. The lyrics suggest that the singer is fully aware of the consequences of their behavior, but they are choosing to indulge anyway, rejecting societal norms and expectations.
Overall, the lyrics of "Cheap Beer" are a perfect representation of punk rock's ethos of rebellion, outsider mentality, and youthful exuberance. FIDLAR's heavy guitar riffs and catchy hooks perfectly match the energy and intensity of the lyrics, making this song a punk rock classic.
Line by Line Meaning
Me and my friends in a hundred dollar Volvo
Driving around aimlessly in a cheap, old car with friends.
Busting down the street while cruising Alvarado
Driving fast and recklessly, not caring about the consequences.
Getting fucked up on the 101
Drinking and doing drugs while driving on the freeway.
Shootin' our guns and having fun
Engaging in dangerous and illegal activities just for the thrill of it.
Forty beers later and a line of speed
Drinking heavily and doing drugs to excess.
Eight ball of blow and a half a pound of weed
Using large quantities of multiple drugs at once.
Heading down the track to Mexico
Going on a wild and reckless road trip to Mexico.
Fucked on beer and staying gold
Engaging in self-destructive behavior but not caring about the consequences.
I drink cheap beer
So what? Fuck you
Defiantly embracing a lowbrow lifestyle and pushing back against societal expectations.
As I was saying all that shit like that Vietnam shit
Rambling on incoherently about past traumas.
Beer's always better with a bag around it
Drinking heavily and not wanting to put down the beer for any reason.
Dan's in the back puking on my seat
Dealing with unpleasant side effects of excessive drinking.
But he was drinking cheap beer, it's okay by me
Justifying reckless behavior by minimizing it and embracing the cheap, lowbrow lifestyle.
Supposed to be in Santa Monica at 8 AM
Having responsibilities and obligations that are being ignored or avoided.
Fuck the clock and drink red again
Rejecting societal norms and expectations in favor of continued self-destructive behavior.
Twenty three years I've been drinking cheap beer
Long-term acceptance and embrace of a lowbrow lifestyle.
Sixty one more, but from a liquor store
Planning to continue drinking for the foreseeable future, but perhaps switching to slightly higher quality alcohol.
Lyrics © Hipgnosis Songs Group
Written by: Brandon Quinn Schwartzel, Elvis Grayson Kuehn, Maxwell Atom Kuehn, Zachary Carper
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@paullondonhighflyer
Listening to FIDLAR while eating a cold steak from the gas station. Priceless.
@BornToSneed
xD.
@austinlyle3579
I love you
@MCBucky4
Hellview V "Fuck It Dog, Life's A Risk"
@ReggiePostlethwaite
I'm listening to this drinking a six-pack of cheap beers
@brianlangford2553
And you lived to write that?
@pan98cakes
2022 and this still fucking bumps hard
@brendanmaclean3013
23 now. Still true
@AlfredIsMyAwsomeNAME
THIS BAND IS FUCKING AWESOME .. DAMN THEY DESERVE MORE ...
@fawkeeenset
Cocaine