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Tacoma, Washington, often called the “City of Destiny,” lived up to its name for the two San Joseans behind the playful psych-rock band Funny Face. Earlier this year, Funny Face released their second full-length album, Dog In Hell, marking their first recording in their hometown of San Jose. This album, a vibrant burst of fuzzy, carefree garage pop, signifies not only a sonic evolution but also a shift in identity for the band, previously known as Funny Face House.

“We’re the band with two names,” says guitarist and vocalist Adam Szyndrowski with a shrug.

Funny Face’s journey began in 2014 when Szyndrowski moved to Tacoma after his San Francisco band disbanded. What was meant to be a short visit to his friend Mallory Petty turned into a longer stay, thanks to Tacoma’s affordable rent, thriving music scene, and the blossoming romance between Szyndrowski and Petty. They soon moved in together and started hosting shows in their 110-year-old home, affectionately named Funny Face House.

“At first, we didn’t play any shows there—we just had other bands play,” Szyndrowski recalls. “Then we thought, maybe we should join in.”

With a new project in mind, Szyndrowski began writing songs in the fuzzy, stoned style of Thee Oh Sees and Ty Segall, while Petty picked up her old instrument again.

“I started playing bass in eighth grade but hadn’t played since,” Petty says.

After a few years in Tacoma, the couple returned to San Jose to be closer to Szyndrowski’s ailing father. This experience prompted Szyndrowski to quit drinking, manage his father’s affairs, and write more refined songs.

“I wanted to create something lasting,” he says. “Before, we thought our songs sucked and were poorly recorded. I wanted to make an album that was sonically pleasing and catchy.”

Despite its live band sound, Dog In Hell was recorded piecemeal over the internet during the COVID era. Initial guitar and bass tracks were recorded on a laptop in their dining room, then sent to a drummer in LA. The tracks were then layered with fuzzy guitars, thick bass, and atmospheric elements.

“I think we had 40 tracks on one song, just doubling guitars,” Szyndrowski says.

The final mix was done at San Jose’s District Studios, significantly enhancing the album’s fidelity and sheen. Szyndrowski credits much of the album’s sound to the mixing.

“I would attribute a lot of that to Ryan at District,” he says.

Dog In Hell features many nods to San Jose, from “East Hills” to the “98 Civic” speeding down highways 880 and 87. The explosive opener “Seventeen” captures the universal teenage experience of rebellion, freedom, and disdain for school.

The next time you find yourself wondering, “What’s real?”, you can rest assured that Funny Face House IS REAL–or at least the band’s new 6-song LP out on Youth Riot is (digitally) real. Ontological questions aside, we can also assert  that Funny Face House is a real band from Tacoma, WA featuring the  artist/musicians Adam Szyndrowski and Mallery Petty on guitar/vocals and bass, respectively, as well as Youth Riot Records’ Daniel Cohn on drums. The group’s new collection of songs was recorded to 4-track  in a living room of the house shared by Szyndrowski and Petty, and it  captures the band’s casual, do-it-yourself spirit with gritty immediacy.  Unabashedly tone deaf, IS REAL foregrounds the exuberance of creation over the rigors of musicianship–while still managing to dish out plenty of tasty hooks!

“SOUP,” the album’s psychedelic opener, sounds like a  band trying to manage the onset of a massive buzz. Giddy energy  prevails while a hazy late-night approach to things has everything  upside down and slightly out of whack. With the rhythm section chugging  along at a casual, glue sniffing pace, Szyndrowski unleashes a chiming  guitar lead like a crooked perma-grin while his vocals sound as though  they were sung with a mouth full of Spaghetti-O’s and a styrofoam cup  over the mic. Like the later tracks “Lazy Susan” and “California“, “SOUP” is the smoky shadow of a catchy pop tune but it comes dusted in lo-fi grit and rusty jangle.

Other tracks like “1998,” “Cadillac,” and “Green Tercel”  find Funny Face House smashing their head on the grungier side of the  Punk Rock. “1998” borrows a stolen riff and drives it into a ditch just  for the fun of it while “Cadillac hauls ass with its backside dragging  sparks and flame. Busted out kick drum and bass fuzz makes a crusty halo  on the later cut, as Szyndrowski bashes white lightning licks with his  wig on fire. Equally off its nut, “Green Tercel” rolls out of the garage  like a juiced up beater lurching forward in clouds of carbon monoxide  as the band sings along obliviously. Dented but proud, Funny Face House  proves cruisin’ on empty is still the best way to get high on the fumes  of inspiration.