Sonny & The Sunsets were a favorite of mine in 2010 "” I couldn't get enough of their 60s-style hand-clapping surf rock. Their new album,
Hit After Hit, has the same retro-spirit, with an added darker sounding, blues-influenced sex appeal (imagine the Yardbirds playing surf pop). Maybe it's thanks to more driving rhythms, insistent and thunderous on the album's opener "She Plays Yo-Yo With My Mind," or the sped up, relentless guitar licks.
The album title is appropriate, as the tracks play like pop-friendly singles, but most all of them have a sly smile towards the dark side. They manage to simultaneously evoke a dirty, sticky blues bar and the beach without a conflict of interest.
I love the slurring insouciance of Sonny Smith's vocals, but I keep coming back to the instrumental number "The Bad Energy From LA Is Killing Me." Maybe it's my Northern California pride talking, but this psychedelic jam is nasty, evocative, and a whole lot of fun.