King Eye & The Squirts “Demonseed” 2017. Drivel Limited Records. We caught Milwaukee’s garage punk/surfy set this past weekend at Mittenfest, an annual outdoor streetfest held in the dead of winter by Burnhearts bar in the heart of our neighborhood. I’ve been meaning to check out King Eye & The Squirts for awhile now – they’ve been together since 2015 – as they’ve played with a bunch of other bands that I really like and I recognized at least a couple of the band members. Vocalist/guitarist Steven Look bartends at X-Ray Arcade in Cudahy (where besides seeing shows, I teach punk rock yoga once in awhile) plus I think he’s been in several other bands, and drummer Jesse Buskov also plays in Rexxx, another Milwaukee band (in which my favorite MKE bassist, Sam Reitman from Slow Walker – who played Mittenfest 2 years ago –  and like 20 other bands, also plays – Milwaukee is a  small big town).

Demonseed is a great, short and punchy album with a warm and lo-fi sound; we ran into another friend/Milwaukee musician after the Mittenfest performance who told us Demonseed was recorded completely analogue. That sound enhances the DIY garage vibe of the music, which is great 60′s-inspired surfy garage punk with an occasional dose of grunge (“Love Doll”). My top tracks include “Love Doll,” “Meat Stick,” “Zombie Baby,” the psychedelic punk freak-out “You’re Not the Walrus” and the title track “Demonseed.”