It’s not 1957, so you’d be forgiven for assuming an album called Medusa by a band called The Helltones would sound more black metal than doo wop. But it’s 2023, and anything goes. Recorded at Santo in Oakland, the third studio album by The Helltones combs through 13 bluesy, surfy, soulful songs—all original, though some sound familiar, like they could have been rock & roll standards. Groovy basslines, catchy hooks, faces to the sky guitar shredding, and there’s even a song about a “pirate BBQ.” Rock on.
