Year: 2026
Label: Western Star Records
As the old saying goes: don’t fix what ain’t broke. German Dukes Of Tijuana certainly hold this to heart, considering their style of psycho/neobilly doesn’t stray from some very well trod paths.
But, like they say, don’t fix what ain’t broke. This is a tried and tested recipe, from which some very tasty dishes have been prepared. And these guys are, apparently, able musical cooks.
In a nutshell, take a big helping old late 80’s style UK neobilly. Take another one of classic UK psychobilly from the same era. Toss it in a blender and wait until it’s a uniform mass. And hey presto, you’ve got Scary Mary.
Yes indeed, for people who know their neo/psychobilly, Dukes Of Tijuana won’t offer anything new or unheard. If your musical taste includes bands such as Frenzy and Long Tall Texans, you’ll not only find Scary Mary instantly familiar – you’ll more likely than not also like it.
Because it’s not always about originality, is it? Sometimes it’s enough to do the same old, if you do it good enough. And, to allude back to the beginning of this interview, this Dukes Of Tijuana do. Their more than capable songs are laced with catchy choruses, the energetic slap of the upright bass and nice guitar melodies. Whilst probably not including any future genre hallmarks, Scary Mary has more than a few worthwhile tracks, such as the melancholic Piece Of Art or the rowdy Raving Mad with its big band jazz-y stylings.
But at the same time, the album feels so eerily and thoroughly familiar, that it’s impossible to get quite as excited about it as it’d deserve. At least if you’ve been listening to this music for the past quarter of a century and more, like I have. There’s a weird dissonance here: when listening to especially the best tracks on the album, one realizes how good Scary Mary is… but still, somehow it’s hard to muster up the excitement it’d merit.
Still, all things considered, Scary Mary is a fine piece of psycho/neobilly. It’s entirely classic, but not tired or retro for the sake of being retro. It sounds good – what else would one expect from an album engineered and produced by Alan Wilson? – and it’s got fun songs. And, above misgivings considered, this is enough.
