Surfer Blood – Astro Coast [Review]

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Guitar. That’s a quick and easy one-word description for the debut full length from Florida based band Surfer Blood. On their debut record, Astro Coast, they nail the clean and propulsive thrust of records like Weezer’s Blue Album and The Strokes’ Is This It. And while some may be quick to lump them in with the growing ranks of bands who have all heavily invested in reverb pedals, Surfer Blood display the chops and the songwriting skills necessary to help them avoid becoming a one-trick gimmick.

Like their peers in Real Estate, Surfer Blood utilize their guitars in a way that doesn’t shove them down the listener’s throats. But while Real Estate tend to smear the lens in vaseline and shoot straight into the sun so to speak, Surfer Blood take a more streamlined approach. Opener Floating Vibes is indicative, featuring interlocking riffs over a sturdy backbeat. While the guitars on this track do explode from time to time, it’s always in the guise of a tasteful solo. By the time the handclaps and “bah-bah” backing vocals come in, Surfer Blood have completely betrayed their power pop leanings and you can remark to yourself, “Man, it is so nice to hear Weezer sound like Weezer again.”

Elsewhere, such as on their buzz-bin (they’d appreciate that distinction) anthem, Swim, lead singer John Paul Pitts’ hoarse shouting tops a series of titanic riffs and stop-start drumming. The key to Surfer Blood’s appeal lies in the fact that behind the guitar heroics and shimmering textures, these are great pop songs. Lyrically is where Surfer Blood run the risk of falling into cliché, as a lot of their songs recall mid-90s emo poet laureate’s like The Promise Ring and Christy Front Drive. But this is a minor complaint on an album that ultimately serves its purpose as an enjoyable fist-pumping indie record. In a year where we’ve seen that term used and abused to the extent that all it takes is some facial hair to be indie, Surfer Blood seem proud to know on which side of the fence they stand.