Sophia Michaels
Lucero give a heavy dose of punk-rock attitude in the new song “One Last F.U.,” the Memphis band’s first offering from their new album. That project, Should’ve Learned by Now, is due Feb. 24 and follows the 2021 album When You Found Me.
Kicking off with hard-rock riffs and copious cowbell, “One Last F.U.” has the defiant, sneering energy of Lucero’s loudest recordings, with frontman Ben Nichols in the role of someone who just can’t wait to get out of wherever he is. “It wasn’t like I came here thinkin’, ‘Man this bar’s great to drink in,’” he growls at someone who’s being a little too friendly.
In the chorus, Nichols lays it all out there: “I ain’t gonna be here very long/One last fuck you, that’s it, and I’m gone.” It’s a kiss off to less-than-ideal circumstances that could also serve as a call to seize the moment.
“‘One Last F.U.’ is where this whole new record started,” Nichols said in a statement. “It’s a song that was too offensive and goofy to be on the last few Lucero albums. I was dating a girl a while back that lived on the West Coast and I remember thinking to myself, ‘I ain’t gonna be here very long’ and that ended up being the first line of the chorus.”
Produced by Matt Ross-Spang (John Prine, Margo Price), Should’ve Learned by Now aims to have more upbeat, fun songs that wouldn’t have worked on the group’s darker albums of the last handful of years. “I had a particular sound I was looking for on each record and there was no room for any goofy rock & roll or cute witticisms or even simply upbeat songs,” Nichols adds. “But now finally, it was time to revisit all of that stuff and get it out in the world. The album is basically about how we know we are fuckups and I guess we are OK with that.”
A popular live act, Lucero are currently on the road with numerous shows booked through October. Up next are an Oct. 6 stop in Little Rock, Arkansas, followed by an Oct. 7 show at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium.
Should’ve Learned by Now track list:
- “One Last F.U.”
- “Macon if We Make It”
- “She Leads Me”
- “At the Show”
- “Nothing’s Alright”
- “Raining for Weeks”
- “Buy a Little Time”
- “Should’ve Learned by Now”
- “Drunken Moon”
- “Time to Go Home”
