Big Fuzz, the solo project of Anthony Cenerini, is set to release its first single on Jan. 16, marking the start of Cenerini’s new career in Winnipeg as a rock musician. 

Cenerini is originally from Winnipeg but moved to British Colombia to work as a music producer. He spent eight years running a commercial recording studio before his life turned upside down after sustaining a back injury on Vancouver Island last year. 

“[I] had to get [a] stretcher out of my hotel room, couldn’t walk, and from there, weeks later, got evicted. No fault of our own, but kind of ran out of options, and we’re like, ‘Hey, [let’s] go back to my hometown and start over there,’” explained Cenerini. 

“It was probably the toughest couple months of my life. But […] you look back on it now, and it’s all worked out the way it’s supposed to, and I’m really happy to be back in Winnipeg.”

Cenerini compared Big Fuzz’s sound to modern rock bands such as Royal Blood and Dead Poet Society, and he also incorporates “more poppy synth textures,” similar to indie pop artists such as Lola Young and Sombr. 

Big Fuzz was originally a duo in British Columbia but became a one-man band when Cenerini relocated to Winnipeg. He wrote, performed and produced “FEARS” entirely on his own, but this transition was not without its challenges, which Cenerini explores in the track. 

“I was a drummer at the time. I was not singing and playing guitar, and I am terrified of doing both. So the song is literally about that, having social anxiety, then being forced to confront it whether in life or literally stepping from behind a drum set and performing, being in front of the stage instead of the back of the stage,” he said. 

“Even though it’s a pretty personal song to me, I hope other people can relate to anxiety and know that you can do it. The hardest part for me in rewatching this project was going from zero to one, from everything crashing down to just starting again and being ready to perform and ready to write songs and release songs and do all that.”

Right now, Big Fuzz has big but not-so-fuzzy plans for the future — Cenerini is currently recording an EP for release later this year, and listeners can expect a second single in late February or early March. 

“I’m really fortunate to be at a point in my career where I do music full time, so I plan on hitting it as hard as I can, right? And the goal is to play festivals and tour and do all that,” he stated.

“My hope is to start playing locally in probably May or June, and then [just go] out there and see what it does. No expectations, [I just have to] do it and see what it looks like.”

“FEARS” is available on all major streaming platforms starting Jan. 16. Learn more about Big Fuzz at bigfuzz.ca.