Cobra Cobra – Demo Tape (Swimming Faith Records)

Cobra Cobra is a raw punk rock group comprised of band members hailing from São Paulo and Buffalo, New York. Their demo tape is one of the debut releases by the Swimming Faith Records, Buffalo-based record label specialized in so many musical spheres. The record label serves as a platform for all the activities requiring John Toohill, who’s also a member of Cobra Cobra. Judging by the cover artwork, I would expect some experimental noise recording, but that’s not the case. Abstract tricolor art conceals the stylized serpent painted in black, while the green and gray colors represent grass and the ground. At least, that’s how I perceived this piece of art that wraps six noisy punk rock compositions.

Cobra Cobra takes fuzzy punk rock shreds on the entirely new level by consolidating essentials or surf rock and classic rock’n’roll. The group fuses the best of both worlds, so these demo recordings involve retrospective and contemporary sound unified altogether into a compact harmony. Guitars are implementing the classic eighties punk rock sound, characteristic for US and UK punk groups of that particular decade. These riffs are drenched by the simplistic, but yet effective, fifties rockabilly guitar scales that are enhancing the overall listening experience. Delicate reverb effect immerses these scales, so there’s a notable surf rock atmosphere floating around.

The bass guitar accompanies these highly energetic shreds with vibrant fuzzy sound and retains things extensively throughout the entire recording. Both instruments are sounding abrasive during the complete record, but each supplemented tone is more than hearable. Dynamic drumming performance keeps these orchestrations in line but also liberates heavy dosages of uncompromising energy into the atmosphere. Lead vocals contain generous layers of rotary and pitch shifter effects that plunder the complete listening experience. Perhaps someone will admire this sort of vocal manipulations, but to be honest, they’re not my cup of tea at all. Still, the music is quite good, considering this is a debut demo recording, and the remaining portion of the group gives their best effort to shine bright.

I am not familiar with the other recordings by Cobra Cobra, so this demo tape is a good starting point if you’re profoundly into the obscure punk rock, saturated by rockabilly vibe. As far as I am informed, this cassette is still available at Swimming Faith web store, so head over to their website and purchase on for yourself.