Review: Frantix – My Dad’s A Fuckin’ Alcoholic

Frantix was an early ’80s band from Colorado that blended their own take on hardcore music with standard ’80s rock. They released two 7” records during their run, and this CD collects all of that music with live tracks and unreleased demos into one place—and it’s great. The sludgy guitar and the hard-hitting drums pair incredibly well with the drone-like, “I-don’t give a fuck” vocals. Mudhoney fans will recognize the title track, “My Dad’s A Fuckin’ Alcoholic,” but many, like me, probably thought it was a Mudhoney song to begin with. In addition to inspiring the granddaddy of all grunge bands, members of Frantix would go on to form the early Sub Pop band The Fluid, who helped break rock music away from the grip of hair metal. This is a historically significant release, and a must-have for anyone really trying to understand ‘80s hardcore.
–James Bennett