You have to love a band that manages to mix glam power with a serious artistic message, and that’s exactly what Daemönik Fonce are doing with their first teaser, “Oh Corita,” from their upcoming second album, DFII. The track is an ode to the American nun, artist, and anti-war campaigner Corita Kent, delivering a “classic Fonce” sound: all power chords and swagger, taking on a heavy subject but starting from a smiling, celebratory place. The cover art itself is a brilliant homage to the ’80s protest punk scene, specifically the famous CRASS stencil and the ‘pay no more than’ text, modernized for the Bandcamp page as ‘Pay What You Want.’
This group is built around Welsh twins Stewart and Paul Summers, formerly of Sharp Tongues and Ten Benson, alongside Hanna Edgren, Sam Mansbridge, and new drummer Andy Prestidge. They’ve been around the blocks long enough to know the world is going to the dogs, which just gives them more reason to squeeze some joy out of doing what they love. After completing tours with the Jim Jones All Stars and appearing at Sea Power’s Krankenhaus Festival this year, Daemönik Fonce are clearly ready to drop DFII on January 29th, via Property Of The Lost Records.
Just like its 2022 predecessor, Eye Love Daemönik Fonce, the new album is a sonic love letter to the eclectic music and artists the band grew up with, spanning everything from the raw energy of the Sex Pistols and T Rex, to the space rock of Hawkwind and the folk-rock of Fairport Convention. If you like your rock and roll loud, knowing, and just a little bit subversive, keep your eyes on this release.