Some know Darren Criss from hit shows like Glee or Hollywood, but others know him for his catalog of pop bangers. “f*kn around” can now be added to that.
Darren Criss Is Back & Better Than Ever
Darren Criss has released his first solo song in two years. Fans of the multi-faceted performer have waited for this day.
With his many years in the spotlight, Darren Criss has been on a multitude of records. From Broadway albums, such as his stint as the lead in Kinky Boots, two tens of Glee CDs, where he played Blaine Anderson, Darren Criss has truly made his mark on the industry.
Throughout all this time, though, he’s only released two solo albums. These are 2010’s Human and 2017’s Homework. (The latter peaked at No. 1, of course.) Both were indie pop records with a theatrical flair and singer-songwriter undertones. They encapsulated all that Darren Criss was and all that he is today. He’s back now with music that brings to life a new side of him, while still maintaining his beloved originality.
Titled “f*kn around,” this new single dives headfirst into the garage band side of Darren Criss. Growing up playing in garage bands and sneaking into alt rock shows has prepared Criss for this new release. It gets down and dirty, but still holds onto the star’s beautiful, melodic vibrato. The Slick bassline adds a level of nostalgia and grooviness that few modern artists depict without a hitch. Darren Criss did just that, though. He made an alt rock track feel like a musical theater production and a seventies club show all at once.
“f*kn around” Was Worth The Wait
If you’re looking to head bang to a song that isn’t quite heavy metal or too grungy, this is the song for you. “f*kn around” is anthemic and wild with memorable riffs that will have every listener shredding their air guitar as they stream the track. It’s also pop at it’s core, because Darren Criss is still a pop legend.
Criss dived into the rambunctious and exhilarating passion project that is this new single on YouTube. “F*KN AROUND’ is a track I started a while back as a pretty simple loop. I built it all around a very simple bass groove that I envisioned as something a brand new bass player could learn as their first song. I added some live drums, piano, and two different lead guitar counterparts, with a vague idea of what the melody and lyric would be. It sat dormant for years because nobody seemed all that interested in it, but I always felt like it had a lot of potential if completed properly.”
He continued in the caption of the YouTube lyric video, “It wasn’t until recently that I finally decided to fully flesh it out as a song- and with the help of a string of different writers and producers birthing varying incarnations along the way, the final song ultimately became something of a head-noddin’ middle finger anthem to those triflin’ people in your life that, despite yourself, you keep finding yourself putting up with… All driven by the attitude of that same simple, driving, dirty bass groove.”
Now that it’s out in the world, fans are getting a taste of what Darren Criss can do with a rock and roll mindset. Unsurprisingly, they love it. Music lovers, fans, and critics alike are praising this equally rough and simple song. It’s setting the perfect stage for a slew of singles that Criss is teasing the release of. As he’s previously stated, all these singles, including this one, are “character-driven.”
