Billy Fuller earned more recognition through his role as bassist for Beak>, the Bristol trio he shared with Geoff Barrow (from Portishead) and Will Young (Moon Gangs). However, the experience as a bassist is far more extensive. For seventeen years he collaborated with Robert Plant, and his bass lines have shaped dozens of songs by other artists such as Baxter Dury, Alicia Keys, Billy Nomates, and Massive Attack (the defining bass line of "Paradise Circus" is his). Following Barrow's departure and the decision to park Beak> for a while, Fuller turns towards his personal compositions and releases Fragments, a compilation of songs written and performed by the bassist over nearly a decade.
Among the more experimental material is a number of Beak> demos, alongside more personal drafts that, until now, had remained in the drawer. Sixteen tracks grow out of this exercise, deliberately sidestepping any conventional narrative arc. Musically, the album is made up largely of short pieces shaped by a wide range of influences, moving from electronic textures through more recognisably post-rock, post-punk and synth-pop territory, but always finding comfort in the motorik pulse of Krautrock. It is within this model that the tracklist opens: "Rummer" is driven by that distinctive rhythmic momentum, in an intentional attempt to emulate the style of pioneers Kraftwerk, using no more than a basic and unpretentious setup.
A minimalist energy prevails through the record and it's already evident in the writing and recording process itself, recorded at home in an uncomplicated way, without much lavish technical ornamentation, only relying on a pair of microphones, a handful of pedals, a keyboard, synthesizers, bass, a drum kit and some drum machines, with most of the songs rarely extending beyond three or four audio tracks. The exception is "Three Blind Mice", one of the most atmospheric pieces on the album, which required 35 tracks — here we also find departures from the methodology that predominates throughout Fragments; this time, Andy Sutor steps on the drums instead, and the piece resists a standard repeating form, gradually accumulating intensity as the instruments rotate in and out until the climax is reached with the entrance of a climactic synthesizer sounding like a tribute to the famous organ in "Tears", the classic by Giorgio Moroder.
℗ 2026 Invada Records
Fuller often resorts to the repetition of synthetic sounds as interludes between tracks with clearer categorisation. The analogue textures of "Budfrey Robbed Alexander", "Whammy" with a highly distorted sample that almost scratches, or the drone landscape of "Pirate Ship" are easy examples to point to. The experimentalism of the album leads the bassist to test hybrid combinations that end up coexisting in a healthy way — the acid psychedelia reminiscent of 70s psych rock is poured over a Boom Bap-like beat in "Todo"; meanwhile "On The Eve" feels like a slowed trap-like beat with a slightly stoned haze that would fit well on one of Kim Gordon's more recent songs. The stylistic shifting happens not only from track to track, but also within the internal movement of the pieces themselves. In "Blackstar", the journey begins inspired by the early electronic music of Tangerine Dream before the familiar Krautrock pulse at the heart of the project takes hold, and past the second half, a guitar appears to transform "Blackstar" into a post-punk track almost inviting the vocals of Ian Curtis to make it official. Speaking of vocals, these are almost non-existent and, when they appear, they do not serve any narrative purpose. They function instead as aesthetic layers configured as complements to the instrumentation.
Although I might be suggesting otherwise, the musician never fully steps outside his comfort zone. The bass remains a constant structural element throughout Fragments, at times understated and at others steering songs' direction. The best illustration of this scenario is "Won a Synth", where Fuller constructs a melody built progressively from four bass guitars playing simultaneously, supported by a sober drum part that holds the pulse in place. The instrument's versatility is showcased freely across the album: at times it appears as a complement to the percussion in "I Can't", while elsewhere it reveals a heavily saturated and dense sound, as in "Full Fat", appropriately named. With "Bonanza", we have time to enter a more complete, diverse and pop-friendly segment, in a cheerful marriage between digital and analogue, almost winking at Tame Impala's arrangements.
The title of Billy Fuller's debut could hardly be more literal. Fragments is a collage-like, exploratory work built on deliberate contradictions. The author's storytelling is not linear; it lives from loose creativity impulses and technical skills, from influences that cut across genres and generations, which will not always be easy to follow. For those left waiting on Beak>'s next move, this could be a welcome companion in the meantime.
Fragments was released by Invada Records on April 3rd 2026.
Album Highlights
Rummer
I Can't
Blackstar
