New music review with singles from Them Flying Monkeys and Tacoblaster
- Julia Mason aka The Decibel Decoder
- 24 hours ago
- 3 min read
Our weekly fix of the best new music as Julia Mason (aka The Decibel Decoder) brings us her new music review with singles from Them Flying Monkeys Big Boy and Tacoblaster Toxic Surfer
Artist: Them Flying Monkeys
Track: Big Boy
Portuguese post-punk disruptors Them Flying Monkeys return with Big Boy via gig.ROCKS! and Only Lovers Records, alongside the announcement of their UK + EU tour, kicking off in January 2026.
Pulsing with mechanical precision and devastating force, the Sintra five-piece dive headfirst into their dance music obsessions while doubling down on the distortion and heavy drums that have defined their sound. This is club music with teeth — visceral, uncompromising, and built for catharsis.
Merging the reckless energy of post-punk with indie-sleaze hedonism, Big Boy bristles with frantic guitars, mechanical beats, and raw, unpolished edges that feel both dangerously out of control and meticulously crafted. It captures the restless limbo between youth and responsibility, where noise becomes vulnerability and pretending feels like survival.
Channeling LCD Soundsystem's groove-driven intensity through IDLES' ferocious energy and wrapping it all in a hard-hitting industrial shell, this is a band refusing to play it safe — tearing down genre walls and dancing in the rubble.
"Big Boy was supposed to be the weaker of two demos we took into the studio," the band reveals. "It didn't have a chorus, the ideas were still pretty raw, and most parts were missing instruments. But as we started tracking and reworking the structure, we got really excited about what was taking shape. We decided to release Big Boy first, probably intoxicated by the thrill of discovering what a song can become and watching it come to life."
That metamorphosis was guided by producer Jeremy R. G. Snyder, whose work with IDLES, Fontaines D.C., Sprints and Gilla Band has helped define the sound of contemporary alternative rock.
Emerging from Sintra, Portugal, Them Flying Monkeys have spent the last year tearing through Europe with over 40 explosive performances across Portugal, Spain, and France. Their 2025 saw standout slots at WestWay Lab (PT), New Colossus Festival (USA), Focus Wales (UK), Reeperbahn Festival (DE), and Monkey Week (ES).
Their geographic background plays a crucial role: situated in a country that imports diverse foreign music from all corners, the band naturally absorbs different sounds and influences at different moments — from The Normal's minimal synth-punk to Donna Haringwey's experimental pop to DITZ's chaotic energy. That eclecticism shapes everything they create.
"On one hand, we feel very at home within the distortion sounds and heavy drums, which continues to excite us," they explain. "On the other hand, we've also developed a soft spot for dance music. That's the direction we feel this new single leans toward."
Live, Them Flying Monkeys are nothing short of electrifying. Their performances are pure chaos and control in equal measure, unpredictable yet razor-sharp precise, a full-throttle collision of melody and distortion where beauty meets bite. Each show is a physical, visceral experience that leaves audiences breathless and venues soaked in sweat. It's this explosive energy, this refusal to stand still or play by anyone's rules, that's made them one of the most compelling and unmissable live acts to emerge from Portugal's new wave.
Them Flying Monkeys Live Dates
January
8 - Bristol, The Exchange with Dreamwave
9 - London, The Shacklewell Arms with FEZ
10 - Brighton, The Prince Albert with Kitchen Lover
13 - Paris, Supersonic
14 - Rouen, Le 3 Pieces
15 - Gent, Klub9030
16 - Groningen, ESNS 2026
17 - Hamburg, Hafenklang
* * *
Artist: Tacoblaster
Track: Toxic Surfer
Bordeaux-based garage pop trio Tacoblaster, led by Tom Caussade, return with Toxic Surfer the first single taken from an upcoming album set to be released on 30 January via French indie labels Flippin’ Freaks Records, Howlin’ Banana Records and Les Disques Du Paradis.
There is no warm up - Tacoblaster throws us straight in at the deep water with a frantic splash of lo-fi surf punk infected with detached electronic music and rough-edged garage rock that races headlong towards the beach. Vocals clash, echoes sprint towards the nearest parasol, and layers of fuzz pile up until the drums are practically drowned. Toxic Surfer calls to mind late-2000s Californian bands like Wavves, FIDLAR or Traditional Fools.
The single drops with a music video directed by Tom Caussade. A clear nod to B-movies and their delightfully dodgy special effects - think absurd costumes and DIY trickery that instantly take you back to childhood. Picture aliens landing - not to melt your brain, but to surf the sickest wave in the galaxy
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