The Balboas returned this December with Bite! Blood! Repeat!, a digital-only full-length that pushed their surf-punk sound into its most aggressive form yet. Released on December 5 through Burn N’ Surf Records, the album delivered a loud, wired mix of punk-rock force, garage grit, and rockabilly snap. Rather than smoothing out their edges, the band leaned even harder into sharp tones, blown-out textures, and fast, restless pacing.
The record’s second single, Florida Man, showed exactly what this era of The Balboas was about. Built on distorted guitars, pounding rhythms, and a grimy sense of tension, the track captured the band’s love for messy, high-energy storytelling. Co-founder Richard Griffith explained that the song explored the wild myths around Florida in a way that felt sweaty, unstable, and playful all at once. The track also marked a first for the group: a washboard performance by legendary drummer Dusty Watson.
Across the album, the band used thick reverb, razor-edged guitar lines, and pounding low end to build a chaotic but controlled atmosphere. Even at its wildest moments, the music stayed tight and deliberate. Griffith compared their method to a swarm of piranhas — noisy on the surface but driven by careful teamwork underneath. This balance made the album feel both reckless and disciplined, a mix that has defined the band’s sound for decades.
Bite! Blood! Repeat! also featured contributions from major punk and rock players, including Mike Watt, Paul Roessler, Eddie Spaghetti, and Kitten Kuroi. Their parts added extra texture: heavier bass movement, grimy vocal layers, and sharp rhythmic accents that fit naturally into The Balboas’ noisy world. A standout moment came from their collaboration with The 5.6.7.8’s, tying the band’s frantic energy to the fierce spirit of Kill Bill’s Go Go Yubari.
After more than 25 years of touring, lineup changes, and long-distance writing, The Balboas still sounded hungry. Bite! Blood! Repeat! proved the group remained committed to raw power, dirty tones, and the kind of feral surf-punk energy that refuses to settle down.
Check out the video for “We Got the Blimp”