Reviews

Post date: 03/03/2015 - 07:43
Hell-O-Tiki - Tiki Twister

I picked up Hell-O-Tiki's Curse of Hell-O-Tiki back in 2012 have been patiently awaiting hearing something new since. From the previews on their CDBaby page this LP sounds like it's just as great as everything they've had so far. Here's one of the tracks off of it.

Post date: 02/27/2015 - 12:03
Terrorsaurs - Atomic Lizard Party

The Terrorsaurs have a rare reptilian take on surf - though tracks such as Avalanche, Himalayan Surf, Moose Call and Apache Bear may suggest otherwise. Perhaps it's true that dinosaurs are warm blooded, which would excuse the cold-themed songs. Perhaps Terrorsaurs eat mooses and bears. I don't know.

Back to business. I believe the special guests are imaginary (I tried looking them up) and the whole thing is pretty fun and goofy, though with a creepy, dark vibe throughout as well....Read more

Post date: 02/27/2015 - 11:56
Grand Kahuna - Grand Kahuna II

The saxophone seems to divide surf fans, but Grand Kahuna know exactly where they lie in the argument: they've got two of them. I really liked their last record, especially their longer takes on songs like Surf Beat. These are all covers again, they're shorter and there's less of them but they make them fresh! Glad to see more from them!

Edit: As pointed out in the comments, they've expanded this one to 8 tracks! Yes!Read more

Post date: 02/27/2015 - 08:57
Team Void - Mexican Bus

According to their bandcamp page, Team Void are dead luchadores cursed to rock the living. It's definitely got a heavy, lurching, mid-tempo sound to it that fits their dead personae, with bits of dead mariachi-esque horns sprinkled amidst it. Give it a listen!Read more

Post date: 02/16/2015 - 08:08
LosHijosSurf - Playa​/​Muerte

More from Mexico! LosHijosSurf play horror surf with moments of ska, metal, and occasional jammy moments. Give it a listenMore from Mexico! LosHijosSurf play horror surf with moments of ska, metal, and occasional jammy moments. Give it a listenRead more

Post date: 02/16/2015 - 00:16
The Spoils - Have a Drink With...

More great stuff from Austin, Texas here. While the Spoils 2013 debut wasn't exactly tame, they've definitely gotten a lot fiercer with this one.Read more

Post date: 02/11/2015 - 08:01
Supertoke - Supertoke / Missing While Fishing

Hailing from Ontario, Supertoke have a sorta fun, off-kilter Shadowy Men vibe. That's about all I got on these guys!Read more

Post date: 02/10/2015 - 08:10
Los Daytonas - En el Salvaje Oeste​!​! 7"

For a while this one was only available in person or in Spanish record stores, but it looks like there's now a few more options. They don't drop their excellent surf twang, but they head out for that lonely, desolate western tone and pace. More quality stuff from a quality group.

If you want the wax, you can order it from...Read more

Post date: 02/10/2015 - 07:52
Los Jinetes del Terror - Fuzz on Accidental

Surf is usually a very analog type of music, but Mexico's Los Jinetes Del Terror chose to ignore that. The entire record has an electric buzz (and fuzz) to it. They're not afraid to put their keyboards, drum machine or any digital effects front and center. But make no mistake, the guitars are loud, fuzzy and frantic as hell, and the end result is nicely balanced I think. It might need a bit for surf fans to adjust to, but sometimes those are the best records in the end. 

They've...Read more

Post date: 02/05/2015 - 07:40
Vacations - Nightmare Beach

Vacations hail from the ever-musical Athens, Georgia. Nightmare Beach appears to be their debut EP and it's got 4 quick-picked, adrenaline fueled instros on it for you to sink your teeth into.Read more

Post date: 02/01/2015 - 09:47
Sei Yamamoto - Wild Cat Stomp

Wild Cat Stomp is a nice little one-man production from one half of Momo-Sei, a lighthearted rock duo from Japan. I hadn't heard of them before but I got a kick out of this video...Read more

Post date: 02/01/2015 - 09:22
Los Plantronics - Shortnin Bread

It's been a good while since Los Plantronics' excellent 2011 LP "Organic Voodoo Soup", so they've gotten the ball rolling again by releasing a new 7" called Shortnin Bread. The namesake of the 7" is the same Shortnin' Bread you've heard plenty of times (with vocals) but it also includes "Navajo" which is exactly the sort of big-production high-energy surf I love to hear from these guys.

There's a video for Shortnin Bread on the way, but perhaps more importantly they've promised an LP...Read more

Post date: 01/27/2015 - 07:47
Phantom Operators - Metal Mariachi Music

Thankfully not much similarity to the similarly named Lou Reed record, Knoxville's Phantom Operators have been drip-feeding single songs for a few months now and have scooped them all up into a 9-song LP. Some songs like Tiki Patrol and Charlie's Point are pretty trad, but it finds a darker place as it moves on. Definitely get a bit of an Insect Surfers/Derangers vibe.Read more

Post date: 01/20/2015 - 08:22
Hodaddys - Hot Rods n Surf

Hodaddys play some fun-in-the-sun trad surf with a bit of a hot rod touch to it. Gotta love all the Rat Fink styled art this band has courtesy of . Based on the samples at , this...Read more

Post date: 01/10/2015 - 16:02
The Sub-Vectors = Music on the Bones

Here we go, 2015! The Sub-Vectors gave me a preview of a few tracks off their new album back in December and I found them mighty tasty. It's big (huge even), loud, of the MOAM school of guitar tone, and really packs a punch. The name (and art) of the CD comes from how Soviet music bootleggers would sometimes . In that vein, the...Read more

Post date: 01/09/2015 - 08:06
The Moths - Evil, Vile, Live

Here's one from a continent you don't see too often in instro: The Moths hail from South Africa and their sound reflects the look of the album cover here pretty well. It's raw, ragged, and punk-styled. This three-song live EP and their LP from last year are free to downloadRead more

Post date: 01/09/2015 - 07:59
Mambo Jambo - Esquivo

Mambo Jambo are not a surf band. They've got a sax heavy sound that seems to be aiming straight for the sound that record collectors have collectively dubbed "tittyshaker". There's also some definite jazz and exotica bits to it too. If, like me, they only recently walked into your mental library of instro groups, they've convenvienly put a good chunk of their library on bandcamp.

You can give Esquivo a listen here or purchase it...Read more

Post date: 01/05/2015 - 08:21
Steelism 7"

I wasn't really sure if Steelism was the sort of group this site should be concerned with when I saw that their LP "615 to Fame" was coming out. I saw it at Louisiana Music Factory and thought "what the hey". Glad I did, it's a pretty great album. Obviously there's a good helping of steel guitar, but they definitely also carry pretty heavy surf influences, with flashes of jazz, country, spy, and there's a surprising amount of fuzz too. It's clever and diverse stuff.

So hot off the...Read more

Post date: 01/02/2015 - 10:32
Messer Chups 7"

Based on this and the Speedball Jr 7"s that came out in 2014, there must be some sort of discount going on at a record pressing plant for doing 2 different 7"s. Nobody's complaining though! Russian weirdo surfers The Messer Chups have kicked off 2014 with two 7"s named Jokermobile and Church of Reverb

...Read more

Post date: 12/28/2014 - 09:10
Maracas en Bikinis - Tsunami EP

These Chilean folk definitely don't sound like every other band. While the prominent saxophone may be historically common, it's always a little surprising to hear in modern groups. More surprising is the sitar and the Street Fighter "HADOUKEN". But more importantly, their tone is much different, sometimes definitely not always sticking to the major chords, sometimes sounding a little atonal (I'm assuming intentionally).Read more

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