Fake Fruit
Mucho Mistrust
Carpark Records [2024]
Album Overview: Fake Fruit began as the songwriting project of California native Hannah “Ham” D’Amato, who lived and performed in New York City and Vancouver before settling in the Bay Area in 2018. The band solidified into a trio with guitarist Alex Post and drummer Miles MacDiarmid, along with rotating bassists. Their 2021 debut, Fake Fruit, marked their entrance into the indie rock scene with sharp wit and energetic performances. Mucho Mistrust, their sophomore album and first release under Carpark Records, showcases the band’s evolution from D’Amato’s solo project to a more collaborative effort. The 12-track album confronts personal and societal challenges head-on, combining humor and frustration to explore themes of instability, capitalism, and self-assertion. The songs capture both the individual and collective experiences of the band, reflecting on a period of transformation. The record presents a balance between raw energy and introspection, with lyrics tackling issues like personal hardship and political discontent. Musically unpredictable, it stays within a grooving post-punk lane while pushing the boundaries of indie rock, remaining inviting and playful. Mucho Mistrust is also one of those rarer records that builds its intensity from front to back, so when it ends, you quickly want to play it again because it will leave you hyped up!
Musical Style: The band draws from a wide range of influences, blending post-punk with searing guitars, driving basslines, and dynamic drumming. Their sound has moments of chaos interspersed with sharp, biting humor and cathartic release. D’Amato’s distinctive vocal delivery, paired with Alex Post’s guitar work and MacDiarmid’s driving rhythms, keeps you engaged through both dissonance and melody. The album’s eclectic influences, including nods to punk and new wave, make it feel lively and multifaceted.
Evolution of Sound: Compared to their debut album, Mucho Mistrust reflects a more mature and cohesive sound, a product of extensive touring and collaborative growth. While Fake Fruit was rooted in songs D’Amato wrote at various stages of her life, this album showcases the full-band dynamic, with each member contributing to the songwriting process. The addition of dueling vocals, layered instrumentation, and new musical textures like saxophone underscores their growth as a unit.
Artists with Similar Fire: Fans of bands like Parquet Courts, Priests, Dry Cleaning, Sweeping Promises, and early Blondie will find parallels with Fake Fruit’s sound. Their blend of sharp lyrical critique and energetic post-punk guitar work also recalls artists like Lithics and The B-52s, while their punk ethos hits like an Amyl and the Sniffers record, with nods to classic acts like The Clash.
Pivotal Tracks: “Mucho Mistrust” is an explosive track that sets the tone for the album with its unfiltered lyrics and jagged instrumentation. “Más o Menos” delivers a punk punch with driving energy that brilliantly gets louder and faster, while “Cause of Death” stands out for its shift from a sax-heavy groove to a raucous anthem, encapsulating the band’s versatility. “Venetian Blinds” adds an extra layer of depth with Post’s lead vocals, which evoke a modern Talking Heads track with his David Byrne-like voice.
Lyrical Strength: D’Amato’s lyrics are laced with sarcasm, wit, and raw honesty. She channels personal upheaval and broader societal critiques into songs that hit with both humor and sharp insights. Thematically, the album wrestles with self-doubt, heartbreak, and disillusionment with the music industry and capitalism, yet it does so with a biting, almost self-deprecating tone. There’s a keen sense of awareness in her words, making even the heaviest topics accessible through her unique perspective.
FAKE FRUIT LINKS
Website | Facebook | Instagram | Bandcamp | Carpark Records
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