Devastating Karate’s self-titled debut is a snapshot of the band’s early days. The group formed in Venice Beach during the summer of 2005, quickly putting together a live set’s worth of material for local gigs and parties. By fall, they had a batch of tunes deemed ready for the studio. Tracking was done quick and dirty over two days at Mikael Karlsson’s studio in downtown Los Angeles. As is the case with many bands’ first trip to the studio, it has more of a “garage” quality than later Devastating Karate recordings. That said, the ad hoc approach to recording meshes well with the punk-folk themes. The band manages to squeeze 14 tunes in just under 37 minutes. From the rootsy twang of “Backlands”, to the driving rockabilly of “Window Shade,” and the punky harmonies of “Malibu,” the band delivers a new type of cow-punk, drawing comparisons to old Kings of Leon, The Pixies, Elvis Costello, Wilco and The Supersuckers.

Devastating Karate followed up the release with a tour of the Southwest and several mini-tours of California, Vegas and Arizona. Initial reactions were mixed. Some thought it was a joke (think Tenacious D or Spinal Tap), some were confused and others saw it for what it is: non-affected rock-n-roll with lyrics that stream unique and memorable images from everyday life. “Malibu” is the story of daydream that takes you to the Malibu hilltops in 1795, where we will need to hunt and gather for survival. “On The Floor” and “Window Shade” share opposing perspectives on the same love triangle. “Fine Cork Wine” expresses a common malaise for elements of modern society and public consumption, while “Carlton Way” warns a landlord of delayed rent payments.

Devastating Karate features Nick Ratliff on vocals/guitars/mandolin, Zach Lewis on drums, and Monk Turner playing bass. Monk was replaced by Charles Pasarell for all later DK recordings, but Monk’s unique approach is fully intact on the bands debut (he also did the album art). The album received limited broadcast airplay in markets including Los Angeles, Tucson, San Antonio, Las Crucas and Santa Cruz, as well as airplay from various online outlets.