Angry Metal GuyFrom their origins in Mexico City to the 2022 SXSW Festival in Austin, Texas, the three members of Demons My Friends have a shared journey that made their union fateful. This shared geography has played a role in their musical process, as they split recording their sophomore album, Survive/Yourself, between Mexico and Texas. Post-COVID personal struggles inform the record’s themes, with illness, job losses, and family crises cited as sources of the anxiety that fueled their songwriting. Demons My Friends don’t deliver doses of sadboi, however. What they play is a raw, rough, and gritty style of grunge. Though it flirts with mainstream acts like Alice in Chains and Soundgarden, Survive/Yourself plays its grunge outside the box. While creating music is undoubtedly a healthy outlet, the question remains as to whether it’s a good idea to get too friendly with your demons.
Demons My Friends mixes thick stoner/sludge guitar tones with catchy alternative rock hooks for a compelling sonic palette. The fuzzy guitar on opener “The Theory of Change” evokes Mastodon, while the chorus takes a page out of ’90s rock acts like Nirvana and Bush. Yet the tracks on Survive/Yourself run a bit longer than the more radio-friendly examples of grunge, allowing room for meandering and play. Often these moments serve as highlights, especially the melodic lead that pops up mid-song on “The Last Dance.” And though the sludge proves to be the dominant guitar tone, Demons My Friends also show their more sensitive side. “Kalorama,” with its catchy strummed guitar lead, borrows heavily from Pearl Jam’s soft jams. On other tunes, the guitar grows more playful, with a twangy arpeggio on “We All End Up Here” and a really cool psychedelic bit on the record’s catchiest song, “Brain Holographics.”
Survive/Yourself by Demons My Friends
Unfortunately, Demons My Friends also end up being their own worst enemy. The back half of Survive/Yourself finds a pretty successful formula with some catchy tunes that could almost pass for radio-friendly. Yet the band makes some questionable choices that hold them back. As great as “Brain Holographics” is, it stretches on for too long thanks to a lengthy instrumental detour that sees the song nearly lose its way. The fun, High on Fire-inspired stoner track, “Smile,” includes a weird bit of growling that mars a rather tight tune. Also at issue are the vocal performances. Since both Pablo Anton and Lu Salinas have vocal credits, I’m not sure who’s the culprit, but one of the two consistently sounds off-key, and his voice especially strains on higher registers (most noticeable on “Last Dance” and “Star Child”). These sound issues give a sense of raw emotion, but they also distract from the flow of the songs.
The production, with a DR score of 10, proves a boon, but some production choices prove a bane. The largest boon belongs to the guitars. The thick, fuzzy tone is so satisfying as it fires up on “The Theory of Change” and then again about two minutes into “We All End Up Here.” Similarly, Salinas’s bass benefits, contributing some funk on “Brain Holographics” and some nastiness on “Smile.” Littered throughout Survive/Yourself, however, are odd sound issues that detract from the music. The finale of “The Theory of Change” sounds like someone let their kid play with the recording equipment, as a childlike voice repeats “I” over and over. Other noise effects tricked my brain into thinking I was hearing something outside the music. Pattering raindrop drum beats on “Brain Holographics” had me looking up at the ceiling, scared to see a leak. Vocal oddities here and there, such as the strange spoken parts on “Star Child,” gave me the feeling someone had crept up behind me. Cleaning these issues up would have resulted in a much smoother album.
While they showcase some nice licks and cool ideas, Demons My Friends have some demons to exorcise from their songwriting repertoire. There are aspects of their more experimental side that work well—some exploratory instrumental passages and the varied guitar tones. Yet some of what they do just pulls listeners out of the musical experience. They have a clear knack for some great hooks—I find myself humming the chorus on “Brain Holographics” pretty frequently, for one. I look forward to hearing how they are able to evolve their blend of experimental and mainstream music on their next release.
Rating: 2.0/5.0
DR: 10 | Format Reviewed: WAV
Label: Ripple Music
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook | Official Site
Releases Worldwide: April 17th, 2026
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