Portland's surfin' party punks
Guantanamo Baywatch
have learned a few tricks in the three years since they released their first album, and 2015's
Darling... It's Too Late
is in practically every respect an improvement on their well-meaning but not so thrilling debut,
Chest Crawl
.
have worked up a better set of songs this time out; "Jungle Bride," "Sea of Love," and "Beat Has Changed" outweigh anything on the group's debut, and guitarist
Jason Powell
has not only sharpened his six-string skills, he's come up with some snazzy instrumental numbers, and "Raunch Stomp" and "Shenanigans" should separate the cool cats from the ho-dads in no time flat. (
Powell
also cooks up a nice cover of
Eddie & the Showmen
's "Mr. Rebel" for the historically minded.) The production and engineering (courtesy of
Ben Coleman
,
Justin McNeight
, and
Ed Rawls
) are cleaner and tougher this time out, and bassist
Chevelle Super Sport
and drummer
Christopher Michael Scott
are a stronger, steadier rhythm section after a few years' practice. And while slightly bent surf music is still this band's stock in trade, the slinky R&B-influenced weeper "Too Late" (including a guest appearance by singer
Curtis Harding
) and the stomping dance number "Boy Like Me" show they're adding new levels to their game and making it work. At just 31 minutes,
feels a bit like a party that broke up before it really got into fifth gear, but this album is a much better expression of
's potential than their first long-player, and anyone who wished
GB
's music was as good as their ideas on
gets the payoff on
. ~ Mark Deming