If you put on Fruit LoOops’ latest release, Last Chance at the Pharmacy, without doing any prior research, you might think drum and bass was finally back in earnest, with the requisite processed clicks, hums, and smacks that kick off opener “Balto.” And their name isn’t too far from that of one of the most popular digital audio workstations, after all.
But like their namesake cereal, Fruit LoOops are too colorful to stay-boxed in. First, Jackie Switzer’s spoken word vocals enter, invoking the brashest spirit of post-punk and no wave. Then, the rest of the band enters with keyboards, drums, and the unsung wind synth colliding into atonal assimilation. Switzer finds her place among the cacophony, which means surrendering to it through contorting her voice in whoops and yelps that might be difficult to transcribe but easy to comprehend for anyone breaking down in ways they can’t articulate. The video features the band performing while dressed as chefs in a literal’s Hell’s Kitchen, another great look into the Fruit LoOops’ dangerously creative minds.
The band shared the following statement on the video and performance.
“This is an excerpt of a longer live performance in a literal Hell’s Kitchen where The Devil hazes the new hire. We’d like to thank Rainbow Gallery & Torn Light Records for the location and production of this video.”
Follow Fruit LoOops on Bandcamp, Instagram, and Facebook and check out their tour dates below:
6/3 – Cincinnati, OH – DSGN CLLCTV
6/9 – Athens, OH – Smiling Skull
6/10 – Pittsburgh, PA – Collision
6/11 – Philadelphia, PA – PHL Music Festival
6/12 – New York City, NY – The Broadway
6/13 – Baltimore, MD – True Vine Fest
6/14 – Columbus, OH – Cafe Bourbon Street
