REVIEW: DFL (Dead Fucking Last) - Fuck It

There’s a fine line between staying true to your roots and becoming a parody of them — and over thirty years in, DFL still sound like they’d rather crash and burn than play it safe. Fuck It is exactly what the title promises: loud, fast, messy, and completely uninterested in anyone’s expectations. There’s no reinvention here, no attempt to modernise — just pure, unfiltered hardcore energy delivered with the kind of reckless confidence most bands lose within a few years.

From the opening seconds, Fuck It throws you straight into the deep end. It’s abrasive, immediate, and over before you’ve fully caught your breath. That same momentum tears through Paddy Wagon and Watch Your Step, both of which feel like they’re being held together by instinct rather than precision. That’s always been the appeal of DFL — the sense that everything could fall apart at any second, but somehow never does. There’s grit in every corner of this record, and none of it feels accidental.

Then comes Second Chances, and it hits differently. Still fast, still aggressive, but there’s a weight to it that cuts through the chaos. Monty Messex and Crazy Tom Davis sound less like they’re performing and more like they’re unloading something real. The line all the good ones are dead and gone doesn’t just land — it lingers. It’s a rare moment where DFL pull back just enough to let something honest bleed through, and it works. The abrupt ending only reinforces that tension, cutting the track off before it has any chance to resolve.

Any sense of reflection doesn’t last long. WWFD and Bang slam the accelerator straight back down, dragging the record into full-speed chaos again. There’s a sharpness to the production that keeps everything from completely derailing, thanks in part to Fletcher Dragge, but it never feels overworked. Instead, it enhances the impact without dulling the edges. Tracks like No U Don’t and Heavy Is The Head keep things tight and aggressive, refusing to waste time or overcomplicate anything.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsYy7qTh-yA

What stands out across Fuck It is how deliberate the chaos feels. This isn’t a band struggling to keep up — it’s a band choosing to stay raw. There’s a difference, and you can hear it in the way each track hits fast, burns out, and makes room for the next without hesitation. Nothing lingers longer than it should, and that brevity becomes part of the album’s identity.

By the time Tour Talk closes things out, Fuck It has done exactly what it set out to do — no more, no less. Nine tracks, no filler, no polish, no compromise. It doesn’t try to stretch beyond its limits or present itself as something grander. Instead, it thrives in its own volatility, leaving an impression through impact rather than scale.

What makes this record land isn’t growth — it’s refusal. DFL aren’t interested in evolving for the sake of it, and they’re definitely not chasing relevance. Instead, they double down on the raw, chaotic energy that defined them in the first place. For some, that’ll feel limiting. For others, it’s exactly the point. This is a band that knows who they are and has no intention of softening that identity.

And honestly, there’s something refreshing about how alive this album feels. Too many bands at this stage smooth out their edges, lean into nostalgia, or start playing it safe. DFL do the opposite. This still sounds like a band that could fall apart at any second — and that tension is exactly what keeps it exciting.

Fuck It doesn’t care if you keep up. It just hits, fast and hard, and disappears before you can ask for more.

Score: 7/10

Fuck It will be released on 24th April 2026 via SBÄM Records.

Words: Mia Gailey

Photos: Rich Zoeller