For this review I will be taking a look at the latest album Baby FuzZ: Welcome To The Future (Season 1). The project is the second album of the American singer-songwriter alter ego Sterling Fox. Fox has worked with a variety of popular artists such as: Britney Spears, Madonna, Lana Del Ray, Adam Levine and more. Due to these connections he was on his way to becoming a star in the music industry. However, following the 2016 election Fox stepped away from music. He returned in 2018 under his new persona Baby FuzZ and released his debut album Plastic Paradise in 2019. So on February 5,2021 Baby FuzZ returned for his second project Welcome To The Future.
Welcome to the future is an album with a wide range of genres and this is something that Baby FuzZ enjoys as he said in an interview Beyond The Stage. “I love jumping genres. I think that almost defines the project at this point. That being said there are sonic connections between all the songs that are genre specific. For instance, you’ll hear a lot of 70s glam rock influenced guitar tones… Lyrically you’ll hear a lot of influence from emo or classic folk songwriting. Arrangement wise you’ll hear influence from top 40 pop.” For someone unfamiliar with his music and frankly unfamiliar with indie rock music in general I felt this quote was appropriate to not only learning about him but ultimately the project.
The Album begins with the title track Welcome To The Future. It’s a fairly upbeat sound with darker themed lyrics. It really puts you in the state of being in a dystopian future where the planet is in ruins and doomed to the inevitable destruction. The lyrics are really hard-hitting and the imagery is very vivid. The different perspectives of Kevin and Karen having a party while the world is on fire, Maggie the Orca who has been sober for over a year was caught by a fisher, who managed to escape and return to the ocean however she faces the climate changing ocean. Lyrics that really made me think deeper about the album were “Take one last look at the setting sun, And say goodbye to everything you know.” I think this line was important to set up the rest of the album’s atmosphere. The next song on this album was Weekend Blues. Sonically it’s my favorite song on the album. The song slows down the album with emotion as the topics of depression and sadness, with the trumpets playing in the second half of the song and it really helps your mind wander to the state of the world. The lyrics also help put you in the state with lines such as: “I’ll trade my work for another drink, Save my hurt for my mother’s shrink, And tell her just how much I hate these nights.” But the last lines are very important to the greater meaning to the album. “Well out of 8 billion strangers, Honey, you ain’t the only out there alone tonight.”
The next track is the single Before Our Time which is accompanied by fellow singer-songwriter LP. This song is the most upbeat track on the whole album as it’s blaring and that is nostalgic of better times. The song comes across as friends or someone older reminiscing about friendships before its time (no pun intended). It’s at this point of the album that I began to think about the deeper meaning of this album relating to the current state of the world. The song looks back at the world before the pandemic and how it impacted most people now. The fourth track is We’re All Gonna Die. This was the first song that I heard from the album and I was taken back as I was confused about everything about this song. I can even admit that I didn’t necessarily like the song at first. Yet, when I sat down and took a look at the song as a whole I began to enjoy it as I understood the song more and even enjoyed the song. The sound is very upbeat and somewhat goofy to contrast the darker themes of the inevitably of death. It can be very much akin to Billy Joel’s We Didn’t Start The Fire. Acting as commentary for the craziness and death that plagues the times we live in today. Towards the end of this song it begins to pick up and show some metal influence, as FuzZ’s voice begins to change. Although it still may not be my favorite song on the track I do understand the meaning of it more.
The fifth track on the album is I’m Trying My Freakin Best. It’s a touching track with a piano ballad that slows down the album once again to talk about mental health and anxiety issues. It’s really a heartfelt track that’s third verse really touched me specifically. “I’m trying to be a little less tragic, For the first time in my life I’m trying to find magic, I’m trying to be reckless, I’m trying to be brave, I’m trying to be someone who tries to behave, I’m trying to unlock all the bolts of my cage.” I think this was important to me due to my personal struggles and how I can relate. The fact that I’m not alone and that others will listen to this song and feel the same especially in terms where everyday there is a fear of uncertainty really makes this one of my favorites of this project.
The second to last track is Hood Life. A song that’s dedicated to the idea of what it means. It’s somewhat of an even-kille pop tempo sound that feels so appropriate in the background. The song’s messaging focuses on the financial side of having a good life with the abundance of nice cars, jewelry, and living like a king. This is something the audience can clearly relate to and think about as the financial state of the United States is in question for most of the people in this country. The final track of the album is Acid Night. This is another track that’s atmosphere is important with a saxophone playing low in the background. It’s an ambient lathed track about doing acid at a baseball game. I enjoy how the song puts you in the feel as if you were on which reminds me of LSD by A$AP Rocky. However, to the overall message of the song I didn’t feel it fit with the others as well. Possibly it could have been placed earlier in the album to make it more cohesive in the album.
Overall, I thought this album was really good. Since this was completely out of my element I didn’t know what to expect from it but Baby FuzZ really surprised me. Although I didn’t think his vocal performance was anything special I did enjoy the album due to the feeling that FuzZ understands the state of the world and how people feel before. It’s a crazy time we are all living in and I believe that artists are able to create and reflect on the world with their opinion. If you’re a fan of indie rock I’d highly recommend Welcome To The Future (Season 1). If you’re an outsider like me, I’d still recommend, just because I believe something can be taken away from the album.
