DFMK have been playing since 2009, but Playa Nuclear is just their second full-length. It kicks off with exactly what I expect of the band in "Mi Rutina" -- a driving punk song with lots of high energy, guitar-driven bridges; Mr. Cap on vocals and doing near-splits between songs; and a general melodic flow that balances nervous energy with a tasteful touch of anger and danceability.
To oversimplify, DFMK strikes first as a somewhat normal punk band. Closer listening reveals more layers and wrinkles, all atop of a pummeling rhythm section that make me think of bands like Hot Snakes. As I noted, there's something dancey to the band too, but it's raw and primal and it took the band embracing keyboard in "Playa Nuclear" (courtesy of Nicole Laurenne of The Darts) for me to realize the garage rock influence that kind of drives the manic energy -- which is I guess you could call unhinged, but still contained enough to prevent pure chaos.
What's more impressive is that the band manages to keep their sound fresh while pulling from the classics. Sure, the guest vocals on "Lo que Necesito" (Boom Boom Kid) give a boost in terms of a literal new voice, DFMK's sound variance really comes through their bridges and how they mix in group vocals at different points of each song without falling into the same patterns over and over.
This is high energy punk rock for people who like the guitar -- but it's also just primal rock the way it was supposed to be played. It's real people coming together, building their own energy and feeding a room with it. DFMK is a great live band. Unlike many great live bands, though, they capture that same spirit in the studio. Sing along to "Desquiciados," shake a fist to "Eterna Condena," or dance to "Lavado del Cerebro." It's the kind of rock 'n' roll record that doesn't really feel like it ends, but instead like it's simply time to flip the record over again and reset the needle.
