Los Angeles musician Nick Rattigan has always kept his artistic personas clearly divided. There’s the somber, introspective Rattigan, sole member of Current Joys, whose seclusion manifests in downtempo guitar pop that echoes like a tinny speaker in a cave. Then there’s the bolder Rattigan, drummer and singer of Surf Curse, whose self-deprecating heartaches spiral into restless guitar riffs. Current Joys songs feel like private reflections—particularly on last year’s A Different Age—but his music with bandmate Jacob Rubeck pulls you in by the hand. While early Surf Curse often fell victim to juvenile songwriting (“I’m Not Making Out With You” and “Forever Dumb” appeared on their 2013 EP Sad Boys), their third album, Heaven Surrounds You, is the most confident Rattigan’s ever sounded.
Lead single “Disco” is the best song here, driven by clean, racing strums reminiscent of Vampire Weekend’s debut. But where Ezra Koenig bobbed his head under a chandelier somewhere near the Columbia campus, Rattigan shuffles and twists beneath prom-night decor with a Mia Wallace type. “Disco” invokes the allure of legendary couple dance scenes, the kind that make you want to fall in love with somebody just so you can replicate the choreography. As Rattigan coos “I can’t wait for you,” the track imparts a corresponding salacious urgency: Nothing is more important than right now.
The closest Heaven Surrounds You comes to matching “Disco”’s silver-screen magic is “Safe,” with a whirling keyboard refrain worthy of a climactic montage. “Safe” swaps the lust of “Disco” for complacent loneliness. “I held you away… I can’t leave my home/I’m safer at home,” Rattigan sings, opting to withdraw entirely rather than risk getting hurt again. “I’m safe alone,” he concludes, though his repetition of the line suggests he’s second-guessing himself.
With help from violinist Eliza Bagg of Pavo Pavo, songs like “Opera” and “Trust” exude a baroque-pop eeriness that compliments Rattigan’s occultish references: “Beware of the witching hour/’Cause I can feel you in my room/Is that still you?” he warns in “Hour of the Wolf.” “Tie my wrists and fuck my mind,” he demands in “Opera,” seeming more sinister than inviting. Rattigan isn’t the strongest vocalist—when he belts, it sounds like he’s really trying—but there’s an anguish that surfaces in his quiver, bringing an emotional depth to otherwise plain lyrics.
When things get too plain, the album falls short: Lines about “another night of feeling lonely and confused” feel like they could’ve come from anyone. Dull melodies make tracks like “Labyrinth” and “Dead Ringers” mostly forgettable, and a borrowed title like “Midnight Cowboy” relies on the classic cinema reference to conjure what Rattigan’s uninspired lyricism can’t. In its final moments, Heaven Surrounds You attempts to deliver profound awareness of mortality: “I love all the people in my life/All my friends keep me alive,” Rattigan sings. As with much of the record, there’s likely a far deeper implication behind the clichés—he just needs a more insightful script.
Buy: Rough Trade
