Kiwi fuzz-pop band Surf City put their own spin on lo-fi, retro garage rock and show that it is possible to be heavily influenced by a particular band or era and still sound new and interesting. Hailing from Auckland, New Zealand, this four-piece take a strong page from The Jesus and Mary Chain with their distorted, fuzzy guitar-driven songs. Things get a little spacey on the almost 8-minute-long “Icy Lakes,” while “Yakuza Park” sounds like a dreamy lullaby set to the bright lights of Tokyo. The title track has shades of Pavement with slacker vocals and “woo-ooh-woos” laid over steady guitars, making it the catchiest and most accessible song on the album. Preferring the term shoewave to describe their music, Surf City’s Kudos is an interesting, solid album that doesn’t lose sight of its influences while paving its own road. – Written by DBosket
SIMILAR | The Clean, New Times Viking, Panda Bear, Surfer Blood, Wavves