Dr Chan Southside Suicide

Dr Chan’s sound is fuelled by two different nostalgias: from a dive deep into the best garage rock of the Sixties to the top of the skate punk scene of the Nineties, California seems to be the place the Parisian band looked to while writing their new album, ‘Southside Suicide’. Nine tracks, all sharing titles that end in ‘anks’ (a potentially interesting and fittingly punk choice if it weren’t for the awkward spelling, disfigured with a dollar sign and complete with an unnecessary subheading added to each one), speed by in 27 minutes, as in the best hardcore tradition.

Though there’s a communal roughness among all the songs here, this harshness is more valued in the slower/mid-tempo tracks, which are more influenced by contemporary psych-rock. These include the best songs on the album: ‘HANnnnK$$$ (Lookin 4 Da $in)’ and ‘FRANnnK$$$ (I Can’t Change)’, while the offbeat garage nod of ‘CRANnnK$$$ (Youth $oOO Cranky)’, featuring organs and choirs, is somehow reminiscent of a speed-fuelled ‘Twist and Shout’. There is something here if you’re willing to do some digging.