I get so excited when I listen to new music that I really connect with. It’s very nearly spiritual. It gives me hope, knowing that people are out there somewhere, creating something new, creating something without being backed by Disney or American Idol or Lord knows what else. That’s how I felt when I first heard Surfer Blood. They’re just so good. And it makes me so happy when I hear just how good they are.
I first came across them when I was scanning listings for The Black Cat, a super-cool club (owned by Dave Grohl, sigh) in Washington, D.C. I wanted to see if anything interesting was coming to town in June, when I was back in D.C. for a few days. I recognized the band Surfer Blood was opening for — The Pains of Being Pure at Heart — but had never heard of Surfer Blood themselves. So I gave ‘em a listen, and was hooked straight away. I bought my tickets for the show in a flash and proceeded to listen to their album “Astro Coast” on repeat until showtime.
Their live show was ridiculously good. I haven’t seen a band live that was that solid, that together, that inspired in quite some time. They sounded amazing, the singer’s voice was just as strong and distinct as on their album, and best of all, they seemed to actually be having FUN. (And I’m sure I’ll be roughed up by an indie kid in black-rimmed glasses for saying this, but Surfer Blood was by far the best band that night…)
Trying to describe their sound leads to me one of those annoying cooking analogies. Sorry. But if you took the Shins, Vampire Weekend, old (read: good) Weezer, a pinch of that Elephant Six pop sound, and a dash of the Beach Boys and mixed it all up — boom! — Surfer Blood. It’s fun, up-tempo, great-to-bob-your-head-to or sing-along-with music.
Their first release, “Astro Coast,” only came out this past spring. There’s not a lame track on the album. Nothing I want to fast forward through or skip. And one thing the band did that I love is including an instrumental track! Pretty unheard of for an unknown band to use space on their first album for an instrumental, at least in this day and age. It’s excellent, like everything else.
I am listening to them as I write this and smiling as I do so. You can, too. Check ‘em out.
