Outta Toronto, Ten Kens are Dean & Dan, who put alt-rock in the spin cycle and slam the lid. Their self-titled debut is stuffed full of distorted power jams and tweaky acoustic swings. The amount of distortion and fury are remniscient of DFA1979 - but more rhythmic. A ton of the guitar rounds get bent up and down like crazy, but give a wacked-out uniqueness to the grungy throwdown sound.

“Y’all Come Back Now” is a farmer-gone-insane stomp with an infectious pluck-and-stalk beat. “Downcome Home” is a quicker, more fluid version with shrouded sing-a-long shouts. The vocals throughout the album tend to be hidden behind effects, giving it a ghostly feel. The opening track, “The Alternate Biker” is a surreal, story-like grinder and “Refined” is a zombie-fied cruise on a 60’s highway. Strange, haunted textures epitomize Ten Kens.

The melodies in the album, although buried in distortion and chorus, are at times disturbingly catchy, and if they could cure their own rabies, they’d actually be more dangerous. They’re on the right track, though.