Penza Penza
Hang Loose! I Got Dem Ol’ Surfer Bloos…
Funk Night Records [2025]
“Surf rock gets hijacked, fuzzed out, and reborn in Penza Penza’s wildest ride yet.”
Album Overview: Penza Penza is one of many aliases of Estonian multi-instrumentalist and sonic tinkerer Misha Panfilov. Originally focused on raw, rhythm-heavy funk with a strong DIY spirit, the project has taken unpredictable detours over time, gradually letting go of its early funk roots in favor of a more chaotic and eclectic approach. Each release reflects Panfilov’s restless curiosity, often pivoting in unexpected directions. Still, Penza Penza has always maintained a gritty, off-kilter charm grounded in warped textures and crate-digger oddities.
With Hang Loose! I Got Dem Ol’ Surfer Bloos…, Penza Penza nods toward surf music—but only in the most mischievous way. This is not a tribute, but a playful takeover—surf rock seen through busted amps, garage instincts, and a love for genre sabotage. While the album leans into surf themes and instrumental nostalgia, it’s unmistakably a Penza Penza record: jagged, spontaneous, and proudly imperfect.
Musical Style: The album plays with familiar surf elements—tremolo-picked guitars, driving drums, watery textures—but filters them through a fuzzy, lo-fi lens. Instead of clean tones, we get blown-out guitars, gritty organ stabs, and drums that teeter between locked-in grooves and total freefall. The mix is unpredictable, often colliding blues licks with psychedelic keyboard runs and rhythms that lurch from steady to chaotic in a heartbeat. It’s all part of the charm—messy on purpose, with plenty of character.
Evolution of Sound: Compared to Penza Penza’s earlier work—grounded in minimalist funk and repetition—Hang Loose! is a clear detour. There’s a new embrace of melody and structure, but not at the cost of unpredictability. It feels less like a reinvention and more like a side quest born out of curiosity and impulse. That spontaneity drives the record, making it both fun and full of surprises.
Artists with Similar Fire: Imagine if La Luz’s shimmer collided with the surf roots of The Ventures, layered with the manic energy of Thee Oh Sees and the cool detachment of Khruangbin. Throw in The Shadows—if their tapes had been warped by time—and you’re getting close. For its fearless mix of vintage style and wild detours, Penza Penza’s spirit aligns with genre-bending acts like Sunwatchers or early Ghost Funk Orchestra.
Pivotal Tracks: “Hang Loose!” kicks things off with jagged momentum—it’s as close as the album gets to a surf anthem, but it quickly swerves into strange territory. “Carl Wilson’s Morning Routine” shifts gears with warped grooves and floating keyboards that feel like they’re barely tethered to the ground. “Surf Rodeo” brings the record to a fuzzy, stomping close, blending traditional surf rhythm with noisy leads. Meanwhile, “Flying Over the Sunset” shifts into spacier zones with its haunted melodic phrasing, offering a dreamlike detour that adds eerie depth to the record’s final stretch. Together, these tracks highlight the album’s range—reimagining surf rather than simply referencing it.
Lyrical Strength: There are no lyrics here, but the storytelling is still vivid. Each track works like a short scene—a quick burst of mood and color. The emotional weight comes through in tonal shifts, textures, and sonic quirks. What’s expressed is a sense of playfulness, freedom, and the joy of making something weird just for the thrill of it.
Final Groove: Hang Loose! I Got Dem Ol’ Surfer Bloos… doesn’t aim to redefine surf rock—it aims to wreck it in the most fun way possible. It’s a chaotic, inventive, and proudly lo-fi ride that twists familiar sounds into strange new shapes. If you’re a fan of raw tones, busted grooves, and musical mischief, there’s plenty to love here. Penza Penza may be surfing, but it’s doing so on its own wave—wobbly, wild, and totally free. Wherever the next record lands, one thing’s certain: it won’t sound like the last.
PENZA PENZA REVIEW HISTORY
Alto E Primitivo (2024) / Electricolorized (2023)
PENZA PENZA LINKS
Instagram | Bandcamp | Funk Night Records
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