The Tijuana Panthers are back and this time they’re all grown up (kind of). Combining their signature surf rock with new experimentations in sound, Carpet Denim is the culmination of nearly three years of work and the band’s subconscious evolution into deeper, more personal places.
Taking concepts that have long been percolating, this album is the musical version of a beachside, drop-top cruise — punctuated by deeply human lyrics. Carpet Denim hits deep notes of introspective darkness with songs like “You Died,” a ballad-y jam that delves into the complex emotional wreckage of a father’s passing, and the album’s single, “Path of Totality,” about a close friend of the band’s who lost the fight against alcoholism.