Drakulas, Raw Wave.
Listened because the band name was intoxicating, though the album title’s pretty dumb. Shouty, pitchy retro New Wave Punk, with the climbing guitar solos and rudimentary harmonies and sharp-stop finishes. “Sunny Tzu” seems pure Buzzcocks. I am of a certain age (56), so this brings me back to my college radio days. I can listen to it happily and freely. It makes me smile and even pogo a bit. But no matter how close this sounds to the production styles and alcohol-induced anti-authoritarian attitudes of the early ‘80s, a certain authenticity is naturally lacking. Drakulas are not actually vampires who lived through this era. They are just tasting its blood.