In 2014 the Del-Vipers came out of nowhere (technically Austin, TX) with the relentlessly charging Terror of the Del-Vipers, one of my favorite surf records of the 2010s. It's hard to believe it's only been 4 years since we've heard anything new from them, but Cannibal Safari is a welcome return. The opener "Cobra's Fang" is exactly the stuff from Terror, an aggressive first strike with pounding surf beat. "Kapu" is a bit more of a stomper, not quite subdued but dialing the tempo back from a 10 to an 8 or so. They then crank it back up to 11 with "Rumhammered", a party song with a lot of the roar removed but still plenty of bite. "Zula Hula" is what happens when they try to write a pretty song -- the tempo remains at sugar rush level and they can't help themselves with blasting a little guitar roar here and there. Still Del-Vipers, just with a little glimmer. Then they really try to do a bit more of a beachy, maybe even tiki song, with wave sounds in the background and more exotica-influenced percussion worked in. If this is their slow song I'm afraid you and your partner are still going to be working your legs, but it's a really nice song.
So yeah, all five songs are great and sadly it's over in 15 minutes. Whatever, just happy for more Del-Vipers. Even when they try to pull their punches they pack a wallop.
Bandcamp and limited CD copies
