Des Demonas

Des Demonas hail from Washington, D.C., where they fuse the intelligence and range of indie rock with the raw, throwback edge of garage punk and a touch of Afrobeat. Their fierce, rebellious sound draws strength from several longtime figures in the city’s underground circles. Jacky Cougar Abok’s sharp, street-level words—packed with political insight and snapshots of contemporary city living—pair naturally with the band’s scrappy, forceful attack. Their bold self-titled debut arrived in 2017, followed by the somewhat refined yet equally unrestrained Apocalyptic Boom! Boom! in 2024.

Abok, born in Kenya, handles lead vocals and percussion after earlier drumming stints in Thee Lolitas and Foul Swoops. Mark Cisneros plays guitar, bringing experience from Kid Congo & the Pink Monkey Birds, Medications, and Deathfix, plus drum work with the Make-Up and Benjy Ferree. Paul Vivari, another former Benjy Ferree colleague of Cisneros, handles keyboards and also performs vintage R&B sets in D.C. clubs under the name Soul Call Paul. Joe Halladay plays bass following time in Citygoats, while Ryan Hicks sits behind the drums as a Suns of Guns alumnus. After building a following on the local club circuit—where Abok’s emphatic vocals clashed with the band’s churning rhythms—they signed with In the Red Records, which issued their self-titled debut in December 2017.

An EP and nationwide tour slated for 2020 collapsed when the COVID-19 pandemic triggered worldwide lockdowns in March 2020, halting Des Demonas’ momentum. The EP Cure For Love finally appeared in September 2021, yet regular live activity proved difficult to restart, leading the band to step back from performing in 2023. They resurfaced in 2024 with a revised lineup: Abok and Cisneros resumed their roles on vocals and guitar, Vivari added bass to his organ duties after Halladay’s exit, and Matt Gatwood, formerly of Two Inch Astronaut, took over drums from Hicks. Engineered by D.C. mainstay J. Robbins, the group’s second album, Apocalyptic Boom! Boom!, came out on In the Red in November 2024.