New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Glamorous go go girls, looming tiki heads, and Farfisa organs (literally) ablaze are just some of the lasting impressions left by cult '90s L.A. neo-surf band The Bomboras. Now this famously incendiary act is not only picking up where it left off a quarter-century ago, but has returned more inspired and accomplished than ever on long-awaited comeback album Songs From Beyond!, coming from MuSick Recordings on May 5.
"We somehow exploded creatively when we wrote this album," said Bomboras guitarist Gregg Hunt. "It rocks a thousand times harder than anything else we've done."
Quite a claim, given The Bomboras' fire-spitting, stagediving live shows and a string of albums widely recognized as the missing link between traditional (1960s) instrumental surf/garage music and contemporary surf.
Initially influenced by the likes of The Sonics, Dick Dale, and The Ventures, The Bomboras' caffeinated compositions also channeled punky peers The Ramones and The Pandoras. Recognizing a singularly nuanced old/new approach that would resonate with modern audiences, artist/entrepreneur
Rob Zombie signed them to his Zombie a Go-Go label, via Geffen Records. Within three years of forming, The Bomboras were among the planet's biggest surf/garage bands. Yet three years later they were gone, leaving a string of smoldering stages and a startling seven-album spasm of a career.
"Good surf music starts with a solid rhythm section," mulled Hunt, who co-wrote most of Songs From Beyond! with keyboardist Jake Cavaliere. "You then add all the extra flair that gives surf its feel: reverb/drip, staccato/double picking, possibly an electric piano, or anything else that sounds unique or innovative."
Alongside primary members Hunt, Cavaliere (also of The Lords of Altamont), Shane Van Dyke, and Johnny DeVilla, the 11-track Songs From Beyond! is further energized by legendary Dick Dale/Sonics drummer Dusty Watson. With evocative throwback-futurist artwork by celebrated tiki artist Shag and liner notes by guitar guru Deke Dickerson, the first Bomboras album since 1998 sounds as fresh as the day they formed, their Up Up Sound fueled as ever by reckless rhythms and that signature Strat-Jag-Farfisa tone.
Introduced by rakishly groovy first single "Session at Zero's," Songs From Beyond! lives up to its name, transporting listeners to escapist mid-century American dreamscapes, Space Race-era sci-fi, and a wryly ominous Cold War aura of defiantly partying at the end of the world.
"It feels like 'mission accomplished' because we're releasing our best work to date," Hunt concluded. "A lot went into this LP to make it our best, and we know we've achieved that."
All that remains is a much-anticipated return of The Bomboras' Day of The Dead-attired live shows with their captivating sense of shut-out-reality, barely-organized chaos.
"Like a solid punch in the face - non-stop high-octane surf and garage punk," enthused Cavaliere. "You can never predict what's going to happen on stage, but count on a show!"
"This is as good as neo-surf instrumental albums get. Furious instrumentals that combine the surf of Dick Dale and the frenzy of the Ramones with a decidedly dark overtone." - AllMusic
"Fast and hard like a freight train gone off the surf rails, you're hit with a wave of punkish guitars, accompanying organ and insanely fast drum beats." - Exotica Moderne Magazine.
