“Forget the second coming/I need you in the here and now/Instead of dreamin’ up a way to/Spread your name across the world somehow”.  The opening line from Surfer Blood’s debut album “Astro Coast” is sung with such a soft tone against a fuzzy repeating guitar riff that you can’t help but feel like it’s summer already, sitting on the beach as you watch the clouds in slow motion, getting sand in your socks.

Touted as Surf Rock (and even having the word Surfer in their name, as well as surf themes showing up in some of their songs) you might imagine Surfer Blood would only appeal to sun bunnies or people who think of Surf Rock as The Beach Boys or The Challengers, but there’s a wide range of influences on “Astro Coast” that if you like music with at least one guitar, chances are you’ll like this album.  Perhaps one of the most striking comparisons for me was Peter Bjorn And John, which I wouldn’t describe as Surf at all, but that’s what I mean about a wide range of influences. Vocals that are soft and melodic, as if you’re hearing them being sung from a cave beneath a cliff, about a mile away from the microphone. “Swim”, the album’s second track (and first single) is a yelling cacophony of sound, reminiscent of that Animal Collective, The Cribs, and Vampire Weekend cave gig we’ve all been asking for.  A resounding and catchy as all hell chorus is fused with punchy guitars and pounding drums that leave you with no other option than to stomp your feet and yell “Swim to reach the end/But I’ve said it not to offend/On who can you depend/Swim to reach the end”.

By listening to more than one song on “Astro Coast” you can tell that this is just four guys playing instruments, no over-the-top mixing or editing and no 17 layers of backing vocals, but that’s not too say it’s simple and boring.  It’s the exact opposite, drawing from many influences and creating a sound all of their own, “Astro Coast” plays from start to finish before you know it, drawing you in and taking you on a tour of cold caves and sandy beaches, trips to Syracuse and days spent on the couch. Four songs in you get to “Harmonix”, a song about a pointless relationship, fit for those contemplative road trips with your headphones on, looking out the window as the fields pass by in a flash and three clouds merge into one, it’s a slow and steady thinker with haunting guitars and captivating words. “Twin Peaks” is upbeat and carnival-like, but the words are lonely and bitter, drawing from Weezer’s uncanny ability to sing about stuff that sucked whilst making it pleasant to listen to.

As with most of the songs on “Astro Blood”, the songs are so catchy and rhythmic that you’re bobbing your head along before you realise you’re listening to the end of a relationship or a lack of self-worth.  The album’s two closers are no exception, “Anchorage” with it’s unhurried and brooding pace, the words sung with a tinge of jealousy “I don’t care for anyone/Probably not a lot of fun/You’ve got your own thing going on/In places you don’t belong/Could’ve been mine/At the right time/And it seems like/We were alright”, and “Catholic Pagans”, getting back to a more surf sound but keeping the ruminating words “Never could be still for long and I could never hold a job/Coupled with a weakness for cocaine and liquor/Not much you can do for love”.

If Surfer blood can keep up the momentum they’ve been gaining over the last few months as well as their ridiculously catchy melodies and guitar hooks, not  only will they be one of the best bands of the year with one of the best albums of the year, but they’re sure to do more ridiculously catchy things in years to come. Having only been out for two weeks, it’s just a shame that we have to wait so long for Astro Coast’s follow-up.

8/10

Worth checking out: Peter Bjorn And John, Vampire Weekend, Girls, Weezer (Blue album or Pinkerton)

Buy “Astro Coast” / Download “Astro Coast”

Listen Before You Buy – “Astro Coast”