Surfer Blood

SURFER BLOOD

When you think of Palm Beach, Florida, what comes to mind? Palm trees swaying gently in the balmy breeze? Scantily-clad bikini buxom babes rollerblading down an infinite slab of coral-colored concrete? How about anthemic, bombastic, life-affirming indie pop? If the latter didn’t occur to you, let us introduce you to Surfer Blood: they call West Palm Beach home and, while still in their early 205 have penned an album worth of catchy, summery indie songs that even the most hook-laden power pop band would rightfully be jealous of.

Comprised of members JP (dubbed “The Mastermind” by the rest of the band), TJ, Thomas, Brian and Marcos, Surfer Blood met one fateful night at an after party for Miami’s Ultra Festival, though they didn’t attend the festival itself (“We do not like the D’n'B,” they proclaim). After discussing music, what else for the remainder of the night, JP decided to recruit the three other guys to perfect a couple of songs he had been working on for some time, and thus, the band was formed.

Scrapping most of their first studio session, Surfer Blood opted to use the remainder of their scholarship money to purchase equipment and move the recording process to their dorm room at Florida Atlantic University. The result is their debut album Astro Coast, to be released January 19, 2010 on Kanine Records. Their first single release, “Swim (To Reach the End),” with its deliciously deafening swaths of reverb and feedback, comes across like early Orange Juice covering every song on Weezer’s Blue Album at once.

If you’re wondering about the name, the band ain’t got no surfer blood in them, and actually denounce the surfer kids of their youth for making their high school experience miserable. As for the moniker itself, one of the band members just randomly yelled it out over the radio in the backseat of the band’s car, which is as good a naming process as any.

Surfer Blood – Twin Peaks