Premiere: Basking in FORAGER's Funk-Fueled Fever Dream, "Fuji or a Trek"

Taken off their forthcoming debut album ‘Pipedream Firewood,’ Brooklyn trio FORAGER’s spirited and soaring new song “Fuji or a Trek” is a kaleidoscopic, funk-fueled fever dream ready to energize and inspire all who listen.

Stream: “Fuji or a Trek” – Fuji or a Trek

There’s something wondrous and freeing about FORAGER’s latest single: It’s as if by letting their own spirits loose in song, the Brooklyn trio have enabled us to do the same just by listening in on their reverie. Whatever baggage you’re holding onto, it’s time to let it go: Spirited and soaring, FORAGER’s “Fuji or a Trek” is a kaleidoscopic, funk-fueled fever dream ready to energize and inspire.

Fuji or a Trek - FORAGER — Fuji or a Trek – FORAGER

Take a Fuji or a Trek to Coney Island, why not?
When’s the last time you
Put a helmet on your head,
headed out without the GPS running?
Lose track of time take the wrong right
Turn and it occurs to you
You had shit to do, but you
Keep on riding Brighton Beach
you keep on suspending disbelief for a moment more

I don’t know why I can’t put names to faces anymore
I’ve grown thinking ‘bout a rent to own
But sex is still a big deal, still get a second wind at midnight
Can’t be trusted behind the wheel and it’s fine

Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering “Fuji or a Trek,” FORAGER’s second single of the year and the latest look at their forthcoming debut album Pipedream Firewood, out August 18, 2023. Formed in 2021, the New York City band of Shyamala Ramakrishna, Jack Broza, and Colum Enrique have consistently dazzled audiences over the past few years with their self-described “motley musical heritage.” Citing inspiration and influence from rock, jazz, Afro-Cuban, Indian classical, and more, the group’s small, but mighty discography sets them apart as a unique band of incredibly talented multi-instrumentalists intent on pushing boundaries, subverting expectations, blending musical worlds, and steadfastly marching to the beat of their own drum.

“Fuji or a Trek” is FORAGER’s sixth song overall, following this past January’s dazzling double-single “WDYGBR” / “pieced,” whose two tracks alone showcased a tremendous array of colorful, intoxicating ingenuity. Yet it’s “Fuji or a Trek” that is, without a doubt, destined to turn heads in the trio’s direction: Filled with rich, dreamy vocals, dynamic and rousing electric guitars, refreshingly funky beats, and a showstopping, shiver-inducing chorus, FORAGER’s latest effort is easily their best and brightest so far.

The chorus itself demands listeners’ full and undivided attention; before diving headfirst into this musical and emotional reckoning, FORAGER fully pause – creating space in-between the song’s driving, high-energy verse, and its heavier, emotionally soaked climax:

I don’t want to slow down ‘cause it all gets so loud
When I sit still for too long
But I can’t keep running around
with my head in the clouds forever
I don’t want to slow down ‘cause it all gets so loud
When I sit still for too long
But I can’t keep fucking around
with my head in the clouds forever

“‘Fuji or a Trek’ started as a demo that Jack, our guitarist, brought in to rehearsal one day,” FORAGER’s Shyamala Ramakrishna tells Atwood Magazine. “He had a bunch of the structure in place already – a fast DnB-type groove with pulsing guitar chords in the verses, which swerves into a slower, funky section at the chorus.”

“The inspiration for the lyrics came a few weeks prior. He had spontaneously biked the width of Brooklyn (on a Trek) and ended up in Coney Island. Later that day he bumped into his high school teacher at a rave. He’s not even that into raves like that. So naturally he was like ‘yeah, this was a weird day.’ It was a pair of events that was supposed to be rejuvenating but left him tired and confused. It’s just that stage of life in which you’re supposed to be living it up, but you’ve also grown enough that you’re thinking too hard about it. It’s a very specific kind of angst that all three of us feel from time to time.”

If this song feels like a technical mind-boggler, that’s because it is; FORAGER held nothing back in this display of prowess that, as they themselves admit, is constantly refreshing, but still a challenge – even for them sometimes.

“We arranged “Fuji” first for one of our shows, thinking of it as a set-opener that delivers a huge, energetic first impression,” the band explains. “Our live set is integral to our band — it’s what makes us who we are. So, some of the qualities that define the song are also tied to the needs of a live show: the coordinated hits, the tightness in the verse groove, and the fast, surprising transitions. We want you to imagine being in the room with us as the energy shifts.”

“That said, ‘Fuji’ is still super challenging for us to perform. It’s got a lot of demanding parts, hits and transitions that we are always working on executing as best as we can. But we wouldn’t have it any other way – easy shit is boring.”

Throw yourself to 808s and amen breaks in a sweaty room
You saw Ms. Josephs at the rave said you look the same
Don’t know what to make of that
Feel yourself decline it’s your bedtime
But you power through ‘cause you got to prove
That you can kick it like you’re fresh and new
Like the twenty-twos
Like your 10th grade English teacher

Don’t know why I can’t put names to faces anymore
I’ve grown thinking bout a rent to own
But sex is still a big deal, still get a second wind at midnight
Can’t be trusted behind the wheel and it’s fine

“Fuji or a Trek” is exhilarating: A musical roller-coaster full of unexpected twists, enthralling turns, invigorating highs and immersive lows. Stream FORAGER’s latest and greatest single exclusively on Atwood Magazine, and stay tuned for more from this talented trio: Their debut album Pipedream Firewood is out August 18, 2023!