Surf Curse Gives Us Some Sugar

It’s my belief that indie surf may be the best genre of music in the universe, but maybe this California beach kid is a little biased. It seems like the scene has been pretty dried out for the last three years, maybe partly due to the pandemic. Some of my top bands of the genre such as Best Coast, Surf Curse, The Drums, Wavves, and Surfer Blood have been quiet but slowly releasing new music and projects over the last few months. Fortunately for me, this week my routine music rotation got some desperately needed rejuvenation in the form of a new single. 

Indie surf fans rejoice, new music is on the way! On March 23rd, one of my absolute favorite bands, Surf Curse, revealed a photo on social media from the set of their new music video hinting at a new song. Last Wednesday, the Reno native band released their newest single titled “Sugar,” along with a fun new video. The song has been long awaited and comes two years after the band’s last album release, Heaven Surrounds you in 2019. If you know anything about Surf Curse, you know that front men Nick Rattigan and Jacob Rubeck are wildly creative and in addition to making amazing music, they write, film and direct their own videos. They also have multiple other projects and bands, Rattigan being the front man for Current Joys and Rubeck a part of bands Gap Girls and Casino Hearts. Their latest release as Surf Curse was no exception to their creative brilliance, pulling all the energy, angst, and fun into the camera and microphone.

The first time I listened to “Sugar,” I was a bit surprised by the sound but ultimately was hooked. The song has a more pop-like quality than their previous catalog but stayed true to the essence of their music. A song about pain, lust and love, it gave me everything I wanted and expected from the band. The music video plays out like a late-night talk show, where a host introduces Surf Curse playing their newest single. Dressed in vintage business casual attire, the band performs the new hit in front of a city backdrop in a mock TV station. The song begins softly, with Rattigan romantically pouring words into the mic as he keeps a steady beat on the drums. In true Surf Curse fashion, the pace quickens and the tone of the song takes a complete one-eighty. A perfect mix of fast and slow, the song always keeps the listener on their toes. White confetti showers over the band as they lose themselves to the beat and the music peaks into an all out rock show. As the song ends, the crowd breaks into applause and in a comedic twist, the band is handed brooms by the host to clean up the set.   

Overall I thought the new song was great. It’s catchy, has great lyrics and has a great range. The single shows great promise that the forthcoming album will be unique and present the audience with a fresh perspective. With nearly 250,000 listens on Spotify in less than a week, it’s safe to say many fans are loving the new sound. Although the early Surf Curse albums Buds and Nothing Yet remain my favorite, this song satisfied my sweet tooth giving me a mix of the old and new. It captured the emotions true to indie-surf bands blending  love, confusion, sadness, anger into a catchy tune. As far as the music video goes, in my opinion it was fun but not as creative or visual stunning as some of their past videos. Past songs like “Midnight Cowboy,” “Disco,” and “Christine F” have simply amazing and creative music videos and are among my favorite videos of all time. While there is no word yet on the release of the next album, it’s safe to say myself and other Surf Curse fans are eagerly awaiting to hear what comes next.

You can check out Surf Curse’s new single here and peep their video below: https://open.spotify.com/track/3Tuz3Ec6n03nPTAa5knMm8?si=0b36255361ee4eaa