Surfer Blood

Add Date: January 26

Artist: Surfer Blood

Album: Astro Coast

Label: Kanine

Genre: Rock, indie pop, surf rock

Comments: Hey, isn't that new Vampire Weekend record great? I know, right? I like it, too! "Run"? "White Sky"? These songs are life-changing! I've been listening to it on repeat for days now!* Surely Vampire Weekend is the only band making good pop music right now!

Well, not quite. If you thought Contra would sound better with a lot more reverb** and some classic Weezer--think Blue Album, not the garbage that they're putting out these days--thrown in, then Astro Coast, the debut from Florida rockers Surfer Blood, is the album for you. This is really a terrific pop record, falling somewhere between '90s pop rock and the surf/garage rock of Vivian Girls, Best Coast and Wavves; there is indeed a happy medium between those two styles, and Surfer Blood have found it. They're also on Kanine Records, the nifty Brooklyn imprint that was once home to Grizzly Bear. Check out any of the first three tracks, along with "Fast Jabroni" and "Anchorage."

* - Not really. Actually, that statement would be true about Teen Dream. But I do like Contra.
** - Why you would think this is not up for discussion.