THE PRESS RELEASE: “Drakulas, the art-rock quartet from Austin, TX, are a sonic marriage of proto-punk, garage, 1980’s synth and new wave with lyrical content to match. Drakulas are a concept band donning black turtlenecks & medallions — and who exist in a fictionalized, late-’70s metropolis soundtracked by drugs, pornography, video games, nightclubs, art movements and a little bit of a occult esoterica to spare. Formed by Mike Wiebe and Rob Marchant of the Riverboat Gamblers and Zach Blair of Rise Against as a fully formed art project to explore new, dark avenues and be set apart from other projects, the band quickly went from a diversion to a full-time endeavor by touring, making videos and cultivating acolytes around the globe. After a 7-inch release and their full-length debut, Drakulas release their brand new full-length Terminal Amusements, produced by Stuart Sikes (The White Stripes, Rocket From The Crypt).”
MY TWO CENTS: Clothes make the man, they say. And when the clothes in question happen to be black and white turtlenecks, medallions and sunglasses, they apparently make the men in question start a band that comes out swinging with a retro-futurist blend of sounds and styles. You’ve got choppy garage-rock. Caffeinated surf-punk. Punchy power-pop. Mechanical new wave. Put them all together and then you’ve got a next-generation mutation of Devo, Doctor Feelgood, The Dickies, The Damned and more. Clearly, those are some powerful outfits. And some bitching medallions.
