Surf-a-Tomica made their debut earlier this year with a flashy 7-song release full of great guitar lines and a great, punchy beat. Did they know they were going to release another 7 songs within the same year? While a full album would have suited them well, they took a good formula and made it great here.
The opening/title track holds nothing back, throwing a loud middle-eastern guitar line over pounding drums. Halfway through the song, that guitar is doubled by another, higher-register guitar line, pumping it up as the drums and tambourine build to a frenzy. Wow!
This release is busy, full of dense instrumentation all competing for volume. “Forastereo” features two electric guitars, bass, one acoustic, strings (perhaps synth?), brass, and vocal chants. It’s gigantic, overwhelming, and fun, while still staying undeniably surf.
“La Lucha” scales it back in scale but doesn’t let up on the gas, making sure that either strings or percussion are working their muscles at any one time.
“Resacón en el espigón” lets a saxophone loose to chase the wild guitar line and the two spar excellently.
Maybe it’s good that they released two 7-song records instead of one full-length -- Surf-a-Tomica is a knockout and I’m not sure how much lifeforce I’d have left. Give it 30 seconds of your time and I’m sure you’ll be compelled to hear the rest. Digital only as far as I can tell.
