Fuzz Lightyear channel underground chaos with rabble-rouser “Christ Alive”

There is a thunderous sound escaping from Fuzz Lightyear's “Christ Alive”, the final single to be unveiled before their debut EP Zero Guilt (out November 21). As we’ve come to expect from the group, it's a demonstration of force and extraordinary talent.

Across previous singles, they've been showcasing their raw and ballistic-sounding approach to guitar rock: “Aberfan” is a haunting reflection that revisits the ghosts of one of the darkest days in Welsh history. This is, in part, thanks to the work they've been doing alongside producer Alex Greaves, who has been vital in matching the sound of the EP to the group's reputation for a fierce live performance.

The track itself started sometime whilst they were all still studying at Leeds Conservatoire mid-lockdown. It embodies every ounce of pride and fury that has painstakingly formed part of its story. A complete rabble-rouser that bubbles and seethes along its journey, culminating in a befittingly ballistic guitar blow-out.

“‘Christ Alive’ was born out of instinct”, Fuzz Lightyear explain. “We were in a period of writer’s block and decided to all swap instruments and shift perspectives. We landed upon that driving drum rhythm and it went from there, we know it needed a huge ending and breaking it all at the end felt like the right thing.”

At the time, the group were very much inspired by a lot of the local underground scene: “Bands like Thank, Belk and Coded Marking really inspired the noise and heavy rhythm of it all, they were our introduction to the underground and inspired us to try to make some sort of racket.”

Live, they use “Christ Alive” as a chance to get to their “noisiest places”. One of it's many strengths comes from the powerhouse drumming of Josh Taylor, it's the apocalyptic sounding drums that power it through to its blow-out finale. “A lot of composition comes from trying to imitate the sound of Mabgate Bleach, our DIY home. If we could sound like that at every venue in the world we would.”

In the studio, Fuzz Lightyear were able to give “Christ Alive” a real polish and embellish the ending as much as they could. “That was another spot where Alex Greaves lended a helpful hand with layers of early Soviet-era synths. He gave us a great space to grow the ending. We actually recorded it well before we had made the ending into what it is live today, the version on the record is far more innocent.”

“Christ Alive” is the raw sound of a group with a point to prove, and with more than enough conviction to establish themselves as frontrunners of the UK’s alternative wave. If you ever wanted a more accurate mission statement from a band, they serve up an appropriate one here: “The PA should be breaking and the crowd should be rowdy. Our live identity is what inspires us to make more.”