So Wintertime is finally here in the United States (greetings Electra!), and with the first huge snowfall of the season, we all know what’s on the way this Holiday season. Flight delays, power outages, below freezing temperatures and people bundled up more than a cable company phone, television and internet package.
Although I have always enjoyed the look of snow on the rooftops and the warm and fuzzy feeling of sitting in front of the Yule Log on the television, these cold temperatures have been unbearable. Lately I admittedly have found myself pining for the warmer climates of summertime and a reprieve from the freezing weather.
For those of you who share a similar dilemma, and are anxiously awaiting the arrival of the sun and surf here is a list of some Surf-Rock bands with a feel good summertime sound, to remind you that Summer is only a mere 182 days away. That’s only 6 1/2 months, but really…who’s counting?
And by the way, the below bands are only a small helping of the great music currently coming out of the Surf-Rock genre. Shall you feel I’ve missed some great artists; or made a rather inexcusable omission, feel free to sound off in the comments below!
Surfer Blood (West Palm Beach, Florida)
Originally called “Jabroni Sandwich” , Surfer Blood was formed in 2009 by founding members John Paul Pitts and Tyler Schwarz after meeting band member Thomas Fekete at an after party for the Ultra Music Festival.
Considered by many publications to be the breakout band of 2009’s CMJ Music Marathon; Surfer Blood’s debut single “Swim” was released to much critical acclaim, pushing the band into the rock music spotlight. Their latest effort Pythons shows no signs of the “sophomore slump” and currently holds a respectable 69 rating on metacritic, indicating generally favorable reviews:
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Best Coast (Los Angeles, CA)
Best Coast is a group formed by former child actress Bethany Cosentino and multi-instrumentalist Bobb Bruno. Having written music since the age of 15, Bethany was formerly a member of the experimental drone group Pocahaunted. Having worked as a child actress (she starred in Pepsi and Little Caesars commercials); Bethany later dropped out of college in New York City and formed Best Coast after moving back home to La Crescenta, California to pursue her dream of making music.
Often classified as both “Lo-Fi” and “Surf-Pop”; Best Coast experienced their breakthrough in 2010 after their debut record Crazy For You debuted at Number 36 on the Billboard 200 charts, selling more than 10,000 copies in it’s first week. Currently in the writing stages for their third album, Best Coast just released an EP titled Fade Away which can be listened to in it’s entirety below:
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Surf City (Auckland, New Zealand)
Back from a short hiatus, Surf City have just released their latest record We Knew It Was Not Going To Be Like This on Fire Records. Featuring a more confident sound than found on their first record; We Knew’s lyrical vibe was influenced by the styles of Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen who’s influence is very apparent on a few of the album tracks.
We love the album for it’s progression of Surf City’s already trademark lo-fi fuzz rock sound, bringing the band into new, more mature and sometimes uncharted territories.
Listen to “It’s a Common Life” below:
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Wavves (San Diego, California)
Having recently debuted an exclusive track to the Grand Theft Auto 5 soundtrack (“Nine Is God” on Vinewood Boulevard Radio), Wavves are a band that continue to impress. Their fourth studio album Afraid of Heights has been receiving very favorable reviews on metacritic, and more recently their second single “Demon To Lean On” off of that record has peaked at #36 on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart. This band is definitely making waves (if you’d pardon the pun), and I wouldn’t be surprised if they became even bigger thanks to their GTA soundtrack nod. Listen to “Demon To Lean On” below:
Here’s a fun fact: Wavves’ Nathan Williams and Best Coast’s Bethany Cosentino are a real life couple, and have known each other since they were 17.
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