Lyric Video: Fightmaster Shares Woozy “All Or Nothing”

Queer actor, singer/songwriter and producer E.R. Fightmaster (they/them) first came into the public eye for their roles in Grey’s Anatomy and Shrill. They built a home studio that replicated a particularly fertile creative space from a previous apartment: a cozy closet. They also learned to use Logic and sharpened their engineering techniques. “It felt like leveling up in a creative way,” Fightmaster explains. “I never have wanted to do the technical part of things, but when you’re trying to be creative, you have to set up a space that does beyond what a loop station can do.”

They emerged as a solo artist with their recording project, the aptly named FIGHTMASTER with their debut EP, 2023’s Violence and 2024’s sophomore EP Bloodshed Baby. Building upon a growing profile, Fightmaster will be releasing their full-length debut, Tolerance on June 5, 2026.

Tolerance is dominated by raw, unvarnished lyrics that reflect the complexities and messiness of emotional growth, and attempts to find equilibrium. When Fightmaster started writing the album’s material, they drew from their own life experience, analyzing them through the lens of hindsight and perspective. “Every song that I write is in some way a personal experience, but here I was mining a broader understanding of patterns throughout a lifetime: patterns of loving different people, patterns of watching my friends love each other,” they explain. “All of us do a relatively graceless job, but all the patterns are the same, which is endearing to me.”

Tolerance is the most deliberate thing I’ve ever done,” they add. “I wanted to break through more personally on this album. I really waned to give people a part of myself . . . I would decided that a song felt good if it hurt a little bit. There had to be this real truth to it. And that requires a lack of wall between self and the audience.”

Fightmaster also wanted to work with more producers than they did in the past. On the album, they worked with Riley Geare, who produced both the Violence and Bloodshed Baby EP‘s; Casey Kalmensen, the creative mastermind of Little Monarch, who also plays keys for Gracie Abrams; and Gabe Goodman, who produced Del Water Gap‘s “Ode to A Conversation Stuck In Your Throat.

The result is an album that exhibits artistic clarity and is a reflection of Fightmaster’s own self-awareness about their place in the world, musical and otherwise. “I have to have such a clear understanding of self all the time because I’m a public figure in a very queer way, and I’ve always taken that responsibility seriously,” Fightmaster says. “I don’t feel comfortable being reckless anymore . . . Nonbinary people and trans people have so few elders — I’m not an elder yet; I haven’t earned it — but I have taken on an understanding that’s the path that I’m on.”

Of course, none of this means that Fightmaster has completely figured it all out. No one really has it figured out. But in fact, Tolerance‘s songs brim with empathy — both for the narrators and others. “I want people to know that there’s still cracks in the pavement; I want them to feel safe with me,” they say. “I’ve always thought of myself as so tough, but in the last couple of years I had to realize that I get my feelings hurt every day… When I realized how much kid-heartbreak is still in there, even though I’ve been to all the therapy and I’m on the perfect amount of medication, I was able to write these songs with more kindness for myself than I ever had.”

Tolerance’s first single “All Or Nothing” is a shimmering and propulsive tune anchored around a taught groove and skittering, off-kilter percussion that evokes the wooziness and self-delusion of a newfound love/fling/situationship. Throughout the song, the narrator is full of bluster, challenging their romantic partner to dare to imagine the future they’d have together. But it’s mischievously ambiguous: The listener has no idea what the other person feels or thinks about the relationship or if the narrator just expressing wishful thinking. While informed by personal experience, the song tackles something that’s deeply universal: Many of us have been both the delusional, lovelorn narrator — and the unseen subject of the song.

“It’s such a dramatic bluff,” Fightmaster says. “When I wrote it, I wanted this bravado attack. Like, here’s the fucking synth, here’s the beat. I love this one because we really went hard.”

Fightmaster will be touring to support the album with a set featuring material from the album and favorites from Violence EP and Bloodshed Baby. The tour will include opening dates with Lucy Dacus and Lord Huron, as well as headlining dates. The tour includes a May 28, 2026 stop at Bowery Ballroom. Check out the rest of the tour dates below.

FIGHTMASTER TOUR DATES 

May 4 – Los Angeles, CA – El Cid

May 10 – Bellingham, WA – Mount Baker Theatre **  

May 12 – Vancouver, BC – Queen Elizabeth Theatre ** 

May 13 –  Eugene, OR – McDonald Theatre**

May 14 – Sacramento, CA – Channel 24 ** 

May 16 – Salt Lake City, UT – Kilby Block Party 2026

May 19 – Minneapolis, MN – 7th St Entry

May 20 – Milwaukee, WI – The Rave / Eagles Club

May 21 – Chicago, IL – Lincoln Hall

May 23 – Toronto, ON – Adelaide Hall

May 26 – Boston, MA – The Sinclair 

May 28 – New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom

May 29 – Washington, DC – The Atlantis

Jun 2 – Santa Barbara, CA – Santa Barbara Bowl ++

Jun 4 – Bend, OR – Hayden Homes Amphitheater ++

Jun 6- Missoula, MT – KettleHouse Amphitheater ++

Jun 7 –  Missoula, MT – KettleHouse Amphitheater ++

Jun 9 – Cheyenne, WY – The Lincoln ++

Jun 11 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre ++

Jun 12 – Greenwood Village, – Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre ++

** notes dates w/Lucy Dacus

++ notes dates w/Lord Huron

__

The Joy of Violent Movement is a completely independent and completely D.I.Y. media outlet. Over the course of this site’s 15+ year history, I’ve used my fiercely independent stance to cover music with an eclectic and global perspective that a lot of other publications just don’t have — and will likely never have. 

To that end, I could use your support to continue to keep bringing you my unique global perspective on music. There are a number of ways that you can support this work. 

I’ve been told that some people would prefer to make a one-time donation because it’s easy and less of an obligation. So, if you’re able to make a one-time donation, there’s a donation box below.

Make a one-time donation

Choose an amount

$5.00
$15.00
$100.00

Or enter a custom amount

$

Your contribution is appreciated.

Donate

Anything you can give is very much appreciated. It can and does make a real difference, y’all. 

I know that a lot of folks are struggling to make ends meet in an uncertain and tumultuous economic climate. So there are other, non-financial ways in which you can support this work. 

You can follow me on the following social platforms:

X/Twitter: @yankee32879 and @joyofviolent 

Instagram: @william_ruben_helms

Threads: @william_ruben_helms

Bluesky: @williamrubenhelms.bsky.social

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheJoyofViolentMovement

As always, if there are posts that you dig, share them with your friends. The more eyeballs on my work, the better. 


Discover more from The Joy of Violent Movement

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Tagged with: