Kevin Bronson on October 30th, 2019

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Singer-songwriter-guitarist Johnny Cisneros debuted his work as the Caracals in 2018, culminating in the EP “In the Dark,” a quick-hitting union of vintage garage- and surf-rock and modern blues.

Working with producer-engineer Jonny Bell (The Buttertones, Chicano Batman, Tijuana Panthers, Pinky Pinky), the Santa Ana-based Cisneros dove back into the studio this year to make a second EP, “Dust & Honey,” due in the new year. The title track officially arrives Friday, not quite in time for Halloween but soon enough for all of this weekend’s ghostly parties.

It’s a gritty Cramps-meets-Black-Keys-meets-the Clash rocker with a spooky slide guitar straight out of a horror movie and choppy riffs that make you sense that somebody might be standing behind you with a chainsaw. The song is all about texture and tension, and the Caracals nail them both in three cinema-ready minutes.

||| Stream: “Dust & Honey”

||| Previously: “In the Dark”