Los Straitjackets “Somos Los Straitjackets”

Instrumental surf and rock’n’roll tunes which could be much dirtier

Having spent several  years working with Nick Lowe, Los Straitjackets, the Mexican wrestler masked instrumental combo have stepped out on their own for the first time  since 2012. They’re a band steeped in the sounds of vintage surf music (alongside nods to acts such as Link Wray and The Shadows) and “Somos Los Straitjackets” just about picks up from where they left off on their last full release “Jet Set”.

In comparison to The Sadies, a band who also have a fair wealth of instrumental music under their belt, Los Straitjackets come across as less versatile and less adventurous. The album is fun to listen to, especially cranked up loud, but even then there’s a lack of “oomph.” The tunes (15 of them) tumble out without much fire, fury or abandon to the extent that one might imagine that you are listening to a Shadows’ album from the early 60s or a Music For Pleasure “Plays Surf Music” compilation.

It does perk up a couple of times as on the drum heavy psychobilly of ‘Numbskull’ and ‘Spin Out’, both of which have some heft, assisted by occasional howling vocals while ‘Virgon’, the closing number is a cool mix of delicate guitar interludes and their take on the ‘Wild Thing’ riff.

One gets the impression that hearing these songs live might be a blast but overall “Somos Los Straitjackets” is probably of most interest to a niche audience, those for whom an endless summer consists of dreaming of surf boards while lounging in their basement tiki bar.