Fusilier surprise drops ‘Ambush’ (IS NOT MUSIC) on all platforms, shares “Hello” video
True to its name, Ambush, the debut album from Fusilier, surprise drops today on IS NOT MUSIC. The release comes with a brand new video for “Hello,” directed by Mackai Sharp.
The single joins Ambush’s extensive visual reel that includes “Birds,” “Nightmare Muscle,” “U N I NO,” and “NSA.” Those tracks drew praise from Rolling Stone, the Boston Globe, Line of Best Fit, and Queerty among many others, with Alternative Press designating Fusilier as one of their Top 25 Most Exciting Artists of 2025 for his “powerful vocals … cradled by innovative production that incorporates traditional instrumentation, angular riffage, and soulful, driving basslines with bold, unexpected texture.” NYC folks can catch Ambush live in all its glory at Public Records on April 9th, with tickets HERE.
Ambush lyrics and credits HERE
The album’s thesis statement, “Hello” exemplifies the many influences and sounds present in Ambush. Accompanied by a soft guitar riff, Fusilier gently introduces us to his inner thoughts. The more he shares, the busier and deeper the song becomes. A brilliant cast of musicians bring their a-games on bass (Chris Connors), drums (Vishal Nayak), violin (LaviniaPavlish, Katie Jacoby), while previous collaborators Bartees Strange and Teeny Lieberson return to share their vocals and guitar and synth skills, respectively. All of them unite behind Fusilier as he pushes towards the song’s climax, where it slows to a dramatic tempo as his rebellious tenor vocalizes his wildest dreams come true: “Tonight, I feel like a cowboy.”
Director Mackai shared the reasons behind his and Fusilier’s success with the “Hello” video: “It was exciting for me! I tend to work within a specific sound, and this project felt like the biggest departure from what I am familiar with. And with that, comes a whole different sonic universe for me to riff off of. I feel blessed with the ability to vividly picture scenes and concepts when absorbing music, and it was such an organic process communicating these visions with the team as we developed our ideas. It’s been a real honour getting to know Fusilier and the community that surrounds this project; Everyone is working at such a high level of intention and nuance, from songwriting to styling, it’s magic to me.”
For Fusilier, Ambush is his maternal guide to fighting and loving in the shadow of defeat, its title taken from his mother’s maiden name as much as the act of surprise. For the listener, Ambush is a ferocious whirlwind of polyrhythms, cutting lyricism, classical motifs, distorted riffs, and soaring vocals that document a journey for self-love and humanity in the face of indignity and commodification. Throughout, Fusilier triangulates influences of dance music, turn of the century rock, and southern hip-hop to produce a sound that’s as politically urgent as it is singularly fun. Now, after years of percolating in the indie scene working with Pegg and RIBS alongside Bartees Strange and Teeny Lieberson, Blake Fusilier emerges as a formidable musician, songwriter, and performer in his own right.
“When I started Ambush I thought it was something I was doing—bombarding the world with a bunch of world-changing songs,” Fusilier says with a laugh. “The more I thought about it and fleshed it out, the more I realized that it was something being done to me everyday, from seemingly innocent advertisements to full-on macro aggressions.” It’s this fascination with a sense of safety—both real and imagined—that allows Fusilier to create songs that are fortified like a shield. Take previous single “Nightmare Muscle,” where he offers a biting auto-biography on the narrowing walls of ambition, delivered through the golden age of ‘90s alternative and pop-punk in all its rapped verse and screamed chorus glory. Ambush’s lone ballad “Satellites” revels in the vulnerability of loving openly, with Fusilier’s silvery falsetto delivering “I lived my life as a code— / never let anyone close / So you can imagine the shame of needing your face everyday” somewhere between a plea and a whisper.
Ambush is Fusilier’s most collaborative project to date, with many folks contributing to production and performance, including Carlos Hernandez (Carlos Truly), Teeny Lieberson (Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory), and Vishal Nayak (Nick Hakim). While the album was created in “so many places by so many people,” Fusilier credits studio time with Bartees Strange in DC as the catalyst for turning this collection of songs into such a cohesive, potent statement. Ambush puts Fusilier comfortably alongside Yves Tumor, Perfume Genius, and Model/Actriz as a distinctive voice in adventurous pop music. He may have been ambushed, but trust Fusilier is finally free. Ambush is his way of letting you know.
Ambush arrives March 28th via IS NOT MUSIC. Catch Ambush live in all its glory at Public Records on April 9th, with tickets HERE.
Fusilier live
4/9/25 — Public Records — Brooklyn, NYC
Fusilier Ambush (IS NOT MUSIC)
Tracklist
1. Ambush
2. …popstar
3. LLC
4. Nightmare Muscle
5. Birds
6. …clingingtofutureglory
7. NSA
8. Satellites
9. …itstoobad
10. U N I NO
11. Hello
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