Four Fists – 6666

In 2011, as part of the Doomtree showcase at SXSW, there was a ten minute slot towards the top of the bill slotted for an act called Four Fists. For most of us, this was the introduction to the newly formed duo of P.O.S. and Astronautalis. They didn’t have much material at that point, and there were technical difficulties that led to most of the set being freestyled, but it was clear that there was something between these two friends and dynamic personalities that made this pairing intriguing. When interviewing both artists later that fall, both confirmed separately that the Four Fists album was all but done, and that it would probably be out next year. Nothing happened in 2012, but in 2013, they released a 7” single, “MMMMMHMMMMM,” b/w “Please Go.” We all hoped that this meant that the album was coming shortly thereafter, but we just kept waiting. In the coming years, there were the random one offs, maybe at a festival, but it was around this time that I started referring to the Four Fists album as “The Detox of Indie Rap,” just assuming that it would never come out. Much to my surprise, earlier this summer we got the release of two new songs from Four Fists, but I had also been burned before, so I tried to temper my expectations and keep the songs at arm’s length. But then there was an album announcement, presales, and a tour announcement, and it started to feel real. Now, seven years later, we finally get to enjoy 6666.