This album blew my mind the first time I heard it, and it gets better with each further listen. In many respects, this is Fucked Up’s magnum opus, a rock opera for our generation, the same way The Who’s Tommy was to our parents (or grandparents). Set in the fictional town of Byrdesdale Spa, U.K., the album traces the story of David Eliade and his relationship with a girl he meets named Veronica. The story is a classic archetype of love, loss, and recovery, set to some of the best music that Fucked Up has written. Every song on the album is brimming with catchy and dynamic riffs, capturing the feeling of the various parts of the story which they relate. Through it all, the fierce growls of singer Damian “Pink Eyes” Abraham, with backing vocals from Madeline Follin, Jennifer Castle, and Ben “Young Governor” Cook, carry the story from its beginning to its lyrical conclusion. If you were into Chemistry of Common Life, or any of the band’s Zodiac series of releases, you will be certain to love David Comes to Life, as it is everything those releases were, in a bigger and better way. Those who have never checked out Fucked Up should start here before exploring their earlier catalogue, as this album represents the band at their absolute best. Highly recommended.
–Paul J. Comeau (Matador)