Rob’s Album Of The Week: Tijuana Panthers’ Carpet Denim

With the internet, it’s easy for various styles of music to become oversaturated. The listener has to wade through a ton of crap to get exactly what they want. Sadly, this can be said about the current state of garage rock. One of a few bands who really stick out is Tijuana Panthers from Long Beach, California. Their fifth LP, Carpet Denim, came out on July 12 via Innovative Leisure and it’s a clash of surf and punk tones glossed over with doo-wop harmonies.

One constant in the record is a laid back vibe. It’s interesting because when the guitar kicks in there’s a notable amount of distortion during numerous instances. Think of a musical lovechild of Frankie Valli and The Buzzcocks and Tijuana Panthers is practically what you get. The balance between smooth sounds and electrifying riffs is stunning. It makes the whole album an intriguing experience once the play button is pressed.

I’ve always been attracted to the bands and musicians who push the envelope. The ones who throw the cookie cutter away and make a cruller out of what originally was going to be a donut. It’s refreshing and it pushes music forward rather than keeping it stagnant. That’s what art is supposed to be, right? Tijuana Panthers pull this off in their own way and lets take a look at how they do it in my top tracks off of the Album Of The Week: