Can we PLEASE get Frankie and the Witch Fingers a reliable VPN? These Indiana-by-Los Angeles psych rockers have spent the majority of this year relaying some of their greatest concerns with modern technology and the monopolization of tech giants, all coming to a head with the release of their outstanding seventh studio album, DATA DOOM. A hulking, monstrous ode to paranoia, technology-aversion, and the toppling of industry monopolies, DATA DOOM sees the group continue to fine-tune their sweet and sour blend of sugary hooks, pummeling psych freak-outs, and just the right amount of candy coated chaos to bring forth one of my favorite rock albums of the year. 

A four-piece consisting of Dylan Sizemore, Josh Menashe, Nikki Pickle and Nick Aguilar, the band has been kicking around amidst the psych rock revival for the better part of a decade. While based on the West Coast, Frankie and the Witch Fingers have made somewhat of a home in the East: they signed to Brooklyn-based label Greenway Records with the release of ZAM in 2019. A fitting home for the group considering their labelmates GIFT, Acid Dad and Levitation Room. A mind-melting song factory with a deceptive ear for a good hook, Frankie and the Witch Fingers make records that are fast, chaotic, and catchy.

Frontman Dylan Sizemore

Known to be a formidable live act, I was stoked at the notion of catching this four-piece in action at one of my favorite Brooklyn venues, Warsaw. A sort of home for the distorted and loud (Thee Osees played here a few weeks ago), Warsaw was the perfect theater for this specific brand of insanity. So the stage was set: after two stellar sets by Netherlandian post-punkers Iguana Death Cult and Woodstock barnburners The Bobby Lees, Frankie and his Witch Fingers took the stage.

The show kicked off with a four-prong punch to the face: 4 back-to-back tracks from DATA DOOM, starting with the 8+ minute behemoth “Empire” and barreling through “Electricide,” “Futurephobic” and “Burn Me Down”. Equal parts doom metal, speedy west-coast punk a la Agent Orange, and psychedelic, the group proved that this new batch of tracks could sit right alongside their older cuts as undisputed live show teardowns. The band rounded out the first half of the set with one of my favorite DATA DOOM tracks, “Weird Dog,” and “T.V. Baby,” a non-album track that has become a live staple for the group.

For the second half of the show, Sizemore and co. revisited material from previous Frankie releases, including a large selection of tracks from their 2019 record ZAM. These ranged from longform sonic journeys like “Realization” and “Pleasure,” as well as the catchy start-stop frenzy of “Work,” and my personal favorite FATWF song period, “Dracula Drug.” A band that is as carnal as it is precise, “Dracula Drug” was the perfect showcase for their ability to maintain tension musically amidst the outpouring of kinetic crowd chaos.

Bassist Nikki Pickle

After blasting their way through the singles “Cavehead” and “Tea,” as well as a fan-favorite barnburner from their 2020 album Monsters Eating People Eating Monsters, “Reaper,” the group departed the stage for a breather. Knowing the show was almost over but with enough energy for one final burst of insanity, the band came back onstage for one final song: a blistering, formidable cover of The Stooges’ “I Wanna Be Your Dog.” Sizemore demonstrated his skills as a frontman by taking off his guitar and diving headfirst into the crowd, mic in hand. It was a magical moment of pure energy, a snapshot at the perfect line between modern day garage psych and the foundational proto-punk of the past. Iggy Pop would be proud.