FIDLAR’s Zac Carper On Kicking Drugs, Staying Punk, And Sophomore Slumps

Next month, California pop-punks FIDLAR will release Too, the follow up to their much-loved self-titled 2013 debut. As evidenced by early singles “40 Oz. On Repeat” and “West Coast” and “Drone,” the new record doesn’t scrimp when it comes to giant hooks or appropriately buzzed-out guitars, but it does add an extra layer to finesse to the band’s reliably scrappy songs. And while the band hasn’t totally abandoned the bratty goofball charm that made the first album such a fun listen, they have taken — as frontman Zac Carper describes it — some “baby steps” toward growing up. For Carper, this meant not only getting back to his roots when it came to writing new songs, but also coming to terms with the substance-abuse issues that were threatening both his life and the future of the band. I spoke with him about the new record and how getting clean has affected both his life and his music, something clearly reflected in Too album tracks like “Sober” and “Leave Me Alone,” the latter of which we are premiering here.