Under the “Sounds Like” section of Florida rock band Surfer Blood’s MySpace page states: “None of us surf.” Despite the violent image the band’s name conjures up and their denial of any surfing ability whatsoever, the sound of its debut album Astro Coast leads one to believe these four members have spent a lifetime living on the waves.
Numerous music Web sites and magazines have touted the West Palm Beach, Fla., Surfer Blood as the next indie rock band with potential to make it big. And rightly so. Astro Coast sounds like someone took the early sound of the Beach Boys and Dick Dale, mixed in the shoegaze-y pop of My Bloody Valentine, sprinkled a little Weezer on top and threw the mixture into a sizzling hot skillet of rock ‘n’ roll fury. They also draw comparisons to the recently-reunited ’90s alt-rock legends Pavement.
Surfer Blood has taken familiar sounds from decades past and made their own musical style without blatantly ripping off a specific band, a feat rarely accomplished in modern music.
The album is an ocean soundtrack. The overall feeling of Astro Coast is comparable to what I suppose surfing would be like – calming in some instances, like paddling on a surfboard out to sea to catch the crest of a wave coming back into shore. Other parts of the album are fast and get your adrenaline pumping; like the building anticipation of a giant wipeout. “Take It Easy,” in particular, is a song that encompasses all of these emotions.
This is definitely a guitar-based album. The songs on Astro Coast are soaked in reverb, both in the guitars and the vocals of lead singer JP Pitts. There are also melodies aplenty here. The band’s first single “Swim (To Reach the End)” is an endlessly catchy and radio-ready song if ever there was one. It’s impossible not to get caught up in the sweeping, fist-pump-inducing chorus of the song.
However, Astro Coast isn’t without its flaws. As you get to the latter third of the album, it becomes repetitive.
The energy of the band is still there, but the songs get lengthier as they go and the sound stays the same. The lo-fi distortion of an acoustic guitar on “Slow Jabroni” is especially harsh on the ears.
The sudden rise and recognition of Surfer Blood across the country seems to have even surprised the band members themselves. The group’s blog said it had unexpectedly sold out.
“We aren’t used to this sort of thing … Thank you everybody,” they wrote.
The band is currently finishing up a tour of Europe and will return to touring the States on Feb. 16.
Astro Coast isn’t perfect, but it is definitely a breath of fresh air into the indie music scene. For an album that was reportedly cut in a college dorm room, Surfer Blood has made a tight collection of tracks full of great music, great hooks and wild effects. It is also most assuredly a bright soundtrack to get through these rainy-winter blues.