There’s something beautiful about witnessing an artist grow in tandem with their subject matter. Since 2014, Alexander Donat has been releasing an annual album under the Fir Cone Children moniker, crafting lo-fi dream-punk songs inspired by fatherhood, family, and the fleeting intensity of childhood. But as his daughters have grown, so too has the scope, tone, and emotional depth of the project.
What began as a sonic scrapbook of youthful mischief and bedtime adventures has quietly evolved into something richer—more contemplative, more complex. The songs are no longer just snapshots of playtime and puddle-jumping. They’re about milestones, memory, and the bittersweet awareness that nothing stays the same for long. The fuzz is still there, the melodies still sticky, but the sentiment has matured. Now with the release of this year’s entry, Gearshifting, I’ve come to realise that the music doesn’t just document the passage of time—it feels it. This is the sound of a father watching the world change through the eyes of his children—and realising he’s changing too.
Let’s dive in.
Opener ‘Let’s Calm the Senses’ has that trademark FCC hustle and bustle but the bpms’s have dropped a bit. We’re in a more contemplative mood here. There’s a lovely sense of restraint in the way it builds—like trying to steady your breathing while the world spins around you. The guitars shimmer rather than shout, and the drums patter along with a half-sleepy urgency. It feels like the moment just after a tantrum or just before a dream—still buzzing, but searching for peace. It sets the tone: we’re not in the sandpit anymore—we’re in our heads.
And here’s the chaos! This is ‘Madness!’ Fir Cone Children rarely sound this propulsive. Drums tumble like a bag of fireworks, guitars detonate and reform mid-measure. Lyrically, it’s a teenager’s anthem—brimming with frustration, absurdity, laughter, and eye-rolls. But it’s also tight as hell. The hooks hit, the structure’s clever, and despite the pandemonium, it’s all held together with feeling. Somewhere between Sonic Youth at their most giddy and The Ramones in full-speed mode.
I’ve already had this one on repeat since the single dropped and premiered right here on Static Sounds Club—a massive emotional centrepiece. Donat turns the camera around here, singing not as the child, but as the father. Inspired by his daughter’s first time on stage, it’s brimming with nervous joy, swelling pride, and pure love. Full of arresting lyric drops. Stunning.
A tempo switch and attitude reset for ‘Now is Now’. This is an existential pep talk in punk-rock form. Short, sharp and refreshingly bratty, it serves as a kind of sonic espresso shot. Echoing the punch of early Fir Cone Children albums, this track brings back the lo-fi urgency but infuses it with the reflective tone of a parent trying to teach their kids the power of the present moment. It burns bright and fast.
‘Ghost in the Frame’ is a real a standout. It swaggers in like some new romantic 80’s pop gem crossed with an early Cure track. The bassline is thick with drama, and the guitars drip in chorus and reverb, conjuring that dusky, cinematic gloom that makes you feel like you’re driving through fog in an oversized trench coat. But beneath the noir-pop sheen, there’s something more fragile at work—memories flickering, presence fading. It’s both cool and haunted, like the sound of growing up and realising your childhood bedroom isn’t quite the same anymore. A real emotional sucker punch in sequins.
‘Spelling Your Name’ might be the catchiest cut on the album. Straight-ahead melodic punk with a gorgeous vocal refrain that’s part playground chant, part love song. You can feel the smile behind the mic. There’s something incredibly pure here: like singing your crush’s name into a tape recorder and pressing rewind a hundred times. Sugary and sincere, without veering into twee. The guitar motif reminds of the wonky jitter pop of Spirit of the Beehive. A sound I love.
Up next ‘Swedish Shades’ explores the reaction of Donat’s nine-year-old daughter. To be more precise how wearing a pair of shades changes her social behaviour and even the way she moves. The guitar is choppy and played at pace. It’s fast, playful, and completely alive—like watching someone discover a new layer of confidence in real time. The track captures that giddy metamorphosis from shy kid to full-on swagger queen with nothing but a tilt of the chin and a pair of oversized sunnies. There’s a punky looseness in the rhythm, but it’s tight where it counts—mirroring the sudden boldness that comes with costume and play. Joyous and just a little bit feral.
That wonky pop returns as ‘Ball on Lawn’ bursts on to the speakers. It’s a tight yet airy number about losing a ball over the fence into the neighbour’s garden. There’s a wonderful sense of scale here—turning a small domestic drama into a full-blown emotional epic. The guitar jangles like a sunny-day wobble, while the rhythm section skips with the kind of nervous anticipation only a child can feel while weighing up whether to knock on a stranger’s door. It’s pure Fir Cone Children magic—everyday innocence filtered through fuzz pedals and frantic energy.
Inspired by his daughters “adopting” a neighbour’s cat, ‘Perfect Trade’ is perhaps the album’s most emotionally open song. It’s slow and gauzy, built on clean chords and soft harmonies. But the simplicity is deceptive—this song glows with understanding. What at first seems like a whimsical tale of feline friendship quietly blooms into a meditation on kindness, connection, and the ways children instinctively care for the world around them. There’s real depth in the softness—each note floats gently but lands with meaning. Like all the best Fir Cone Children moments, it finds profound beauty in the ordinary.
And here’s the closer—and what a closer it is. ‘Life Rearranges’ is a perfect encapsulation of the Fir Cone Children journey to date. It’s got everything, that frantic energy, that uncertainty that comes with becoming a teenager and more. There’s a glorious push-pull at play—the verse sections feel like they’re trying to hold things together, while the choruses spill out with emotional openness. The title says it all. Change isn’t just coming, it’s already here. Donat captures that dizzying blur of shifting friendships, moods, and milestones in motion. It’s a curtain call that feels like a doorway.
With Gearshifting, Fir Cone Children moves from capturing moments to confronting movement itself. It’s an album about flux, growth, and emotional velocity. Still punk, still dreamy, still rooted in family—but more grounded, more reflective, more alive than ever.
Donat has made his most accomplished and emotionally resonant record yet—and that’s saying something, given how consistently brilliant this project has been. If you’ve grown up with Fir Cone Children over the years, this one’s going to hit deep. If you’re new to the party, there’s never been a better place to jump in. This album feels transitional. It’s got dirt under its fingernails and a telescope in its pocket. There’s joy here—but also awe, sadness, curiosity. The sound of gears catching. The next phase.
Gearshifting is out now and available now on tape, CD and digitally from the Blackjack Illuminist Bandcamp page.
You can follow Fir Cone Children on social media here…
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