It’s February 1st and there are 47 days until spring. With the spectre of weeks more cloudy days, grimy streets and lifeless trees looming large in my mind, I turn to the sunshine and summer fun that exudes from Long Beach’s Tijuana Panthers and their 2010 debut album, Max Baker, to escape the winter blues.
TIJUANA PANTHERS ‘SUMMER FUN’ (OFFICIAL VIDEO)
Describing themselves variously as “barbershop surf pop” and “frustrated soda jerks”, Tijuana Panthers epitomize the best of California surf and garage rock. Sufficiently retro without sounding derivative, the songs on Max Baker are short but sweet, clever but not overthought.
Creature, New Boots and Crew Cut pick up the classic rock n roll themes of teen angst and misunderstanding, while Red Headed Girl and Angie remind us of those first furtive glances of young love. Throw in a little French interlude for Tijuana Two Step, and some beach blanket attitude on tracks like This Town and Girls Gone Wild, and you have the perfect album to accompany you as you dream of those summer days and nights.
TIJUANA PANTHERS ‘RED HEADED GIRL’ (OFFICIAL VIDEO)
Check out Max Baker and Tijuana Panthers’ other albums on Bandcamp at https://tijuanpanthers.bandcamp.com and through Innovative Leisure records at https://innovativeleisure.bandcamp.com and http://www.innovativeleisure.net.
