What the Fuckleberry Hinn?!

Photo by Elin Stømner. 

I do love how this crew of Norwegians would be cheeky enough to name their truly pleasant-sounding and friendly indie rock band Fuckleberry Hinn. So much for SFW SEO! However, there is literally a little something for everyone on Neither/Nor, the debut from this group with extensively sprawling sensibilities. Fuckleberry Hinn firmly farms the familiar soil of '90s guitar-driven indie unafraid of a pop hook, but they truly dig through all the layers of sound that might entail. So one tune might sound like a rough atmospheric demo, another might dip into dreamier terrain, while yet another might suddenly take on the form of a hard-charging rocker.

Over 22 songs and almost an hour and twenty minutes, these fellows truly let it ALL hang out. I don't know if this is an album I'll listen to over and over again, but I am certain there are a few gems in here that'll stick with me. And given the wide-ranging variety of the material, I think you'll feel much the same way—all that remains to be discovered is just how many of these tunes ring your particular bell.

The return of spontaneity.

A year into the pandemic, I was asked what I missed most about the before-times, and I answered, "spontaneity!"

I think I initially embraced my long walks because they provided me with new things to see every single time, no matter how many times I trod the same routes, and that helped balance out the lack of social spontaneity I was feeling in my world. And as the broader world has re-opened, many of the familiar activities I used as springboards to spontaneous adventures were no longer really available to me, so I've been redefining what "spontaneity" even means to me.

Yesterday we were running errands in a nearby suburb when what looked to be the Leaning Tower of Pisa appeared over the trees in the horizon of the parking lot we entered. It ended up being the Leaning Tower of Niles, a local "landmark" I didn't even know existed. And wasn't in our plans. And was absolutely, totally, and completely unexpected. And when I tell you I was giddy at the sight—so much so I literally* sprinted out of the car to get a closer look—the pleasurable rush that ran through my body was akin to how I'd feel on prior spontaneous adventures.

So I'm finding spontaneity again, and it might look a little different, but it feels even better than it did before!

*And I do mean "literally," as my girlfriend's eye-rolls and chuckles at the time can attest.