Friday soundtrack: Fake Dad return with ‘Third Degree’

Los Angeles duo Fake Dad (Andrea de Varona and Josh Ford) unleash ‘Third Degree’, the soundtrack to our Friday. Blending electropop and punk with Riot Grrrl attitude, the track spirals through the blistering paradox of wanting to feel untouchable while still aching to be desired.

“We really wanted to make a 2000s-inspired club jam that still had the angsty, Riot Grrrl-esque energy that has been at the forefront of Fake Dad’s performance and writing style over the past couple of years. This time, though, rather than going for all angst, all yell we wanted the crux of the song to circle back to something really vulnerable. So yes, I’m this anti-establishment, ‘calling out the man’ baddie, but also I want to be seen, and I want to be loved for all the parts of me. And the realization that maybe the nuance of my inner world makes me kind of messy and insane. Like I want to be untouchable but also really want to let my guard down and be accepted. And at the end of the day, who doesn’t feel a little crazy when it comes to love and relationships?”
Andrea de Varona

“This song is part of an exploration we’re doing lately into the intersection between electro/house music and the ethos of punk. There’s so many cool artists right now that are engaging with computer music in much the same way punks in the 70s and 80s were engaging with guitar music. We really wanted this song to straddle that divide between riot grrrl punk energy and electro club girl energy, because to us they feel like they’re one and the same.

Lots of our songs are written from the perspective of this elevated character who is confident, aggressive, and combative. This song finds her trying to convince a lover (and herself) that she won’t stand for bullshit, and won’t accept disrespect—just to turn around in the chorus and admit that ultimately, she is desperate for any scrap of attention they’re willing to give her, and will debase herself to get it. It’s inherently hypocritical, or at least self-deluded. It’s a situation a lot of people find themselves in.”
Josh Ford

Upcoming headline show: