Cardiknox’s lyrical guide to conquering your boo’s jealousy
Obviously, you’ve prob heard everyone say “I fuck with that” when they really mean “I like that” — you know, because it sounds edgy and on-trend or whatever. Why can’t we just say that we like something? Because the English language is weird and slang is tricky af. It can also make or break your coolness factor — so be careful out there kids. (and RIP “Fleek”)
However, “I only fuck with you” can also have literal meaning… like if someone says, “I think you are cheating on me,” to which your response would (hopefully) be, “No, boo — I only fuck with you.”
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In the spirit of being a mostly monogamous, synth-pop duo Cardiknox has made a sick af song about stayin’ true. With vibey bass and melodic
chill chorus, it’s one to consider for the playlist. Not to mention the video is basically eye candy with crazy light effects, stop motion and things that will make you say “oooh,” in more ways than one…
Cardiknox’s Lonnie Angle and Thomas Dutton have also been cool enough to give us their lyrical guide on how to keep your ride or die from thinking you’re cheating on them, along with even more possible meanings for “FWU”. Check the video below, add to dat playlist, and read the lyrical guide below.
Where did the idea for “FWU” come from?
Lonnie: In this case, the lyrics came after the melody. They just kind of came out and felt really natural. We tried to beat them for a while since it’s a less traditional pop song title, but eventually we had to stop fighting what was already good and embrace it. We wanted the song to encapsulate the feeling of ‘I only wanna be with you.’ That could be a person, or a relationship, obviously, or it could also just be a choice you’ve made in life.
This single has a different sound sonically than what we’ve heard from “Portrait” which came out last year — why did you decide to go in this direction?
Lonnie: The producers of FWU are two awesome guys, Teal and Omega. We hadn’t worked with them on Portrait. They have this amazing dark pop style that we fell in love with and really vibed with in the studio. In conjunction with a handful of other songs we have (that we’ll be releasing slowly but surely!), it felt like a really cool step for us to take sonically.
Thomas — you previously never sang lead vocals on any Cardiknox stuff, why did you decide to change that for this song?
Thomas: When Cardiknox was conceived we wanted it to be more of a 50/50 vocal. Our really early songs display some of that. And in all honesty, we were encouraged by people in the industry to have one of us be the lead so as not to confuse people. So we tried that for Portrait, but we’re really ready to push our sound forward and get back to the original vision of sharing vocals with a duet feel. We both won’t sing in every song but when it helps tell the lyrical story, we’re all about it. Now, hopefully people won’t think I’m just the hired guitar player…
Now let’s go through our fave lines of this song! “I Only Fuck With You” — Have either of you ever had to actually tell someone that you only fuck with them?
Lonnie: We have not (thankfully?). The place we use the phrase most is in songwriting sessions when you like an idea. Like, “I fuck with that.”
“So let ’em talk” — rumors are an ugly thing, have you ever had to deal with them IRL? Do you actually think you should just “let ‘em talk” or do you think you should squash the rumors?
Lonnie: It’s definitely easier said than done. Wondering what other people think of you can be utterly consuming and social media certainly hasn’t made it any easier to tune out. I think everyone has had something untrue or hurtful said about them and it can be tough to be confident in your choices when people around you are doubtful. But that’s what this song is about. Digging deep into a sense of self, trusting your gut and walking your own path — regardless of what others are saying. The journey can be hard but it’s always worth it when you get where you are going.
“I can’t be without you” — the song is basically a love song slash dance song at its core, what’s the most important thing to let your boo know if they think you have a wandering eye?
I ONLY WANNA BE WITH YOU!
“Your love gets me highest” — What do you think is the “ultimate” gesture to show someone that you love them? Or has anyone ever done anything like this for you?
Lonnie: Sticking with someone through their highs and lows is the ultimate love gesture. It’s easy to love someone when they’re on top of the world, but when they’re low it can make you want to run. Staying by their side through thick and thin is a million times more powerful than diamonds and roses.
Tell us a weird story about the making of this song.
Thomas: One thing that actually took a really long time was figuring out what to do for the clean version. We tried dubbing in a different word (like “I only mess with you”) but the song immediately lost all its bite. So we went the hip hop route of just cutting out part of the word, so you can still tell what is being said, but without it actually there. There’s quite a science to it actually. You have to get just a little of the “f” sound and just a little of the “ck” sound on the end, and the ear and brain just fill in the rest. It was pretty ridiculous A/B-ing a bunch of slightly varied versions of censored “fucks”!
Describe a surreal moment for Cardiknox so far.
Lonnie: We played at this Apple event late last year, up in wine country. It was a small thing, us and a few other acts playing a few songs each for the Apple Music peeps. My absolute idol Cyndi Lauper was there and played three songs (including a twangy version of “Time After Time” that definitely made me cry). She played early on so we figured she’d be gone when we played. But halfway through our first song she walks into the room and starts dancing along! Keep in mind everyone else is seated and basically completely still. I could barely keep a straight face! After our set she pulled me aside and told me how much she enjoyed it. I basically blacked out at that point, but one thing I’ll never forget: she told me to never quit … that anyone who has made it in this business did it because they kept going, they didn’t quit. I had been feeling super low about the band and the music industry at that moment, so it felt like a message straight from God/Moses/Allah/CYNDI!
What’s one question you’ll never answer?
Thomas: Who I only fuck with.
Do you guys ever go shopping together to decide on outfits for performances? Who is the most stylish out of the two of you?
Lonnie: Definitely! One of our favorite activities, though it’s usually done in a frantic rush the day before tour. I love getting Thomas’ input on my outfits. He has a great eye. I like to think we’re both pretty stylish! We both definitely have our own aesthetic, but it works really well together.
What is next for Cardiknox?
We’ll be releasing some really cool remixes, then more new music! The plan is to release a handful of singles over the next few months and go from there.
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