Surf City's self-titled debut EP arrived in 2008, but you could be forgiven for thinking that the band had actually time-warped in from the early 1990s. Over six songs the Auckland, New Zealand, quartet displayed an unabashed yen for vintage noise-pop-- cherry-picking guitar moves and clipped vocal cadences from the Jesus and Mary Chain, the Clean, and Pavement. They were good at it, though. The Chills never wrote another reverb-drenched gem as good as their "Pink Frost", but on "Canned Food" Surf City comes pretty close to nabbing that song's ominous but dreamy feel.
On their new full-length, Kudos, Surf City remains preoccupied with the college rock sounds of yesteryear. But this time around they've drifted in a slightly stonier direction-- away from the minimalist-pop moves of the Clean and toward the circular space-rock of Spacemen 3, Stereolab, and Bailter Space. Album opener "Crazy Rulers of the World" buzzes along on an endlessly repeating two-note bass riff. "Icy Lakes" goes one better, riding a single pulsing chord through eight minutes of swooshing guitars and reverb-drenched yelps. It's a record heavy on hypnotic grooves-- phased drones swooping through the stereo field while the rhythm section churns. Somewhere in the last two years, Surf City decided it was okay to jam. For all the static repetition, the band knows how to rattle the mood with a spare riffs and inch upwards toward a fuzzed-out crescendo.
Spacemen 3 used head-spinning sounds as a platform to float dour thoughts on drugs and Jesus. Surf City's message is more optimistic. Even behind a curtain of distortion Davin Stoddard's singing is chirpy and wistful. "West coast dreams are kept alive by the hidden sunsets in your eyes," he sings on the album's title track. Stoddard calls the lyrics out a few stiff syllables at a time, frequently letting the background vocals carry the melodic weight. He's a front man who benefits from splicing extended adolescence with punky naiveté-- part Avey Tare, part Steve Malkmus. On their debut EP, Surf City had a manic edge--the band rushed through its songs with a jittery energy. Kudos is considerably more laid back and vibe-heavy. The guitars still jingle-jangle, just with a little more economy.
