Surfer Blood w/ Team Spirit, Andy Boay
Gabe’s – October 12 at 9:30 p.m. ($15)
Surfer Blood is heading to Gabe’s this Saturday alongside Team Spirit and Andy Boay, and the first thing you should know about this group is that they’re catchy. Very catchy. As someone who listens to new music every single day, it’s rare for me to go back and re-listen to a group that I’ve been checking out for an upcoming show in Iowa City. Yet with Surfer Blood, I’ve been doing this repeatedly and loving every second of it.
The alternative rockers first gained national attention in 2009 with the single “Swim,” which was actually first released under the band name Jabroni Sandwich. They’ve since changed their name, of course, but a bizarre moniker didn’t stop the single from garnering a bevy accolades from critics, and for good reason. The song manages to cram in tasty hook after tasty hook, to the point that Pitchfork actually slapped “Swim” on their Best Songs of 2009 list (a few slots ahead of Lady Gaga’s smash hit “Bad Romance”).
Surfer Blood are now coming off the release of Pythons (2013), and although they still haven’t quite reached critical mass on the national stage, their new album has garnered critical acclaim for its Vampire Weekend-esque guitar hooks and infatuation with heavy syncopation that washes over the listener in pounding waves of aural pleasure. The album was produced by Gil Nortan, who has previously worked with a number of iconic groups like the Pixies, Echo and the Bunnymen and Jimmy Eat World.
Give Surfer Blood a listen, and if you like what you hear, check them out at Gabe’s on October 12 at 9:30 p.m. More show details are available via the official event page. Be sure to check Pythons out on Spotify for a pre-show crash course.
