Los Freneticos' previous LP "El Playa" was a great little surf album with plenty of nice tunes, but I didn't see a hint that they were heading towards something as ambitious as this. The description on their bandcamp page calls this "a lesson that reviews the A to Z of contemporary surf rock sound" (translated) and they certainly do make an effort towards that. I believe Los Freneticos are a quintet, but they frequently stretch out a bit further than that with an extensive cast of guest musicians playing flamenco, pedal steel, trumpets etc. Even as a quintet, the production and clever (subtle even) use of guitar effects expand that sound to the point where I feel hints of The Barbwires with the Blue Ocean Six.
Now it will be very hard for me to ever say anything is as good as The Barbwires' Searider, but I do feel like that is the touchstone here. Like the Barbwires, Los Freneticos are really trying to make an all-inclusive package of all that surf has to offer while throwing in a few new ideas. I really do have to make a nod towards the keyboardist here too, they really add another layer of atmosphere on songs like "Yarara" and sometimes even being the key ingredient like in "Bamboo".
I'm going to need more than a day to really let these sink in, but it's clear that Los Freneticos were really pushing themselves on this one, and I hope that surf fans worldwide take note.
