Surf

New album: Los Abismos || That Surf Thing

By / / Surf / Leave a Comment

This one has actually been around for a while, but the fact that Otitis is now putting physical copies on the market is a good reason to share it with you today. Plus, it’s never too late for That Surf Thing. We’re talking about the debut LP from Los Abismos, a Brussels-based garage rock trio featuring Eric St John on guitars and organ, his daughter Iris St John on bass, and Magic Nico on drums. (You’re right, you’ve heard these names before. In this line-up they also make up The Evil Fuzzheads and Iris and the Deadly Flowers*. Eric St John aka Eric Vanhoutte is known from The Vice Barons, The Ratboys, Thee Martian Boyfriends, and countless other bands.) Here they deliver instrumental surf rock songs that are just as exciting and exotic as their titles. Danceable, fun and cheerful.


That Surf Thing, written by Eric St John and produced by Sonic Spaceboy, is out now digitally, and soon on CD through Otitis Media Records. *Iris and the Deadly Flowers recently released their fine debut LP Don’t Believe In Witches, featuring twelve original tracks, partly new ones and partly reworks or newly recorded versions of older Iris tunes..

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Otitis

New EP: UV and the Rays || UV and the Rays

By / / Psych, Surf / Leave a Comment

When it comes to surf rock covers of pop classics, the margin between cheesy and cool is often very narrow, so Toronto’s UV & The Rays added a dash of psych and a pinch of Khruangbin to the six tracks on their debut EP to get on the right side of the line. We’re talking about Yuval Aberman (guitar), Tal Davidson (bass) and Micah Sky (drums) and their instrumental versions of Starman (David Bowie), Bridge Over Troubled Water (Simon & Garfunkel), You’re The One That I Want (John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John), Jealous Guy (John Lennon), Happy Together (The Turtles) and Chan Chan / Maria Maria (Compay Segundo / Santana). Sun-kissed, laid-back and entertaining. But more importantly: the three musicians may have taken away the lyrics, but they actually add surprisingly creative twists in their music.



The self-titled UV and the Rays EP, produced and mixed by Micah Sky, is out now digitally (self-released).

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

Music Year-End List || Dennis’ Favorite Singles and EPs of 2023

By / / Blues & Roots, Country & Folk, Funk & Soul, Garage Rock, Indie Pop, Indie Rock, Power Pop, Psych, Punk, Surf / 5 Comments

By now you’ve probably seen our lists of favorite albums – here‘s Niek’s and there‘s mine – but 2023 also gave us lots of short format releases that were wantlist worthy. Below you can listen to the Top 50 singles and EPs that I enjoyed the most last year (note: individual songs are excluded). I would have liked to purchase some more physically, but that’s quite an expensive challenge with retail prices where 15 euros (16 USD) for a 7″ single and 40 euros (43 USD) or more for a six-track 12″ EP are no exceptions. Anyway, luckily there are other ways to hear them. Looking over the playlist, I guess that this music is a bit faster and wilder than that of my AOTY list – what is too exhausting for a full-length, works well for just a few songs. In my world you could have a fun dance party with this, including a few moments of rest in between to recover.

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Music Year-End List || Dennis’ Favorite Singles and EPs of 2023Read More »

New album: The Frigidaires || Play It Cool

By / / Garage Rock, Surf / 1 Comment

For those who are far too busy in the last weeks of the year, this is a suitable soundtrack to relax and refuel. The Frigidaires are an American surf/hot rod combo featuring Nick Bazemore (guitars, vocals), Brad Mattocks (guitars, vocals), Chad Shivers (guitars, vocals), Matt Steadman (bass) and Sean Zearfoss (drums), and their debut album Play It Cool lives up to its title. Although we are dealing with three guitarists who also share vocal duties, the album contains thirteen easy-going songs, partly instrumental. Unconsciously, however, you are sucked into the reverb-laden melodies and summery harmonies, and there are plenty of surprises to discover if you want to let your brain continue working a bit.



Play It Cool is out now digitally, on CD and vinyl LP through Otitis Media Records. Cover art by Scott Sugiuchi.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Harmonica Lewinski || Super Hot

By / / Garage Rock, Surf / Leave a Comment

Anyone who encounters the band name for the first time won’t be able to suppress a smile, but Rochester, New York-based rock ‘n’ roll outfit Harmonica Lewinski has been in business for more than a decade. Their new full-length album Super Hot – named after the Super Hot Grocery & Deli from their hometown, as seen in the cover photo – is actually one for sultry conditions. Docks Bushen (guitar, synthesizers), Joe Bushen (guitar, bass), Luke Bushen (bass, guitar, organ), Anna Leibel (drums) and Alex Patrick (percussion) deliver twelve spicy tunes (partly instrumentals, including a cover of Los Beltons’ Baja Rosa), with semi-nonchalant melodies and cool gritty vocals. Laid-back garage rock suffused with indie surf and exotica influences, delicious. We’ll take this with us to next summer.



Super Hot, produced/engineered/mastered by Alex Patrick, is out now digitally and on vinyl LP through Super Hot Sounds. RIYL: The Growlers, Dope Lemon, Allah-Las.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Thee Irma & Louise || Year Zero

By / / Garage Rock, Surf / Leave a Comment

Swiss garasz punk band Thee Irma & Louise have been around for over twenty years, yet they called their new album Year Zero. Tomi Ballmer (vocals, guitar), Oliver Ruch (bass), Miriam Wolf (keys) and Philipp Mühlemann (drums) dedicate the record to singer/songwriter/guitarist Olifr M. Guz aka Oliver Maurmann, frontman of Die Aeronauten and involved in countless other projects. A cover of his song Monitor opens the LP, followed by ten originals, with standout track Five Years Behind My Thyme being eagerly inspired by The Third Bardo’s 1967 classic I’m Five Years Ahead Of My Time. The tunes vary from menacing synth-surf-punk and psychedelic post-punk to raw garage rock and melodic popcorn (influences for which we have to go back much further than five years), partly instrumental and partly vocal, always exciting, still appealing in 2023.


Year Zero, recorded, mixed & mastered by Micha Loosli, is out now digitally and on vinyl LP through Little Rebel Records.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Little Rebel

New EP: Interstellar Riders || Interstellar Riders

By / / Surf / Leave a Comment

Interstellar Riders are a relatively new surf / rockabilly trio from Vancouver (Canada), featuring seasoned musicians Joe Rotundo (guitar), Jeremy Holmes (bass) and Todd Biffard (drums). On their self-titled debut EP you’ll hear four instrumental tunes full of sonic reverb and space echo twang, as is usual in this genre, but what sets this release apart are the original melodies, graceful interplay and amazing sound. Are those aliens I see dancing there?



Interstellar Riders’ self-titled EP officially drops on November 24. Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New EP: The Patina Turners || Shorebreak

By / / Garage Rock, Surf / Leave a Comment

For a sunny mix of psychobilly and surf rock we aim our attention to Fort Myers, Florida, where Andrew Costantino (guitar), Robert Graham (guitar), Rob DeSantis (bass) and Cory Graves (drums) make some pretty exciting music as The Patina Turners. Their new Shorebreak EP contains five instrumental tunes with original melodies and refreshing spaciness. Song titles like Blue Crab Boogie and Bikini Moms (and the ace video below) reflect what this is all about. Gripping and inspired, cool stuff.



Shorebreak, recorded & produced by Howard Merlin, is out now digitally through Rumble Road Records.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Monster Wave || Pazuzu Luau

By / / Surf / 1 Comment

Monster Wave is the Asheville, North Carolina-based instrumental surf rock band of Casey Willis (guitar, bass, drums, percussion) and Brett Spivey (Moog synthesizer, theramin, keyboard). They just released their debut LP Pazuzu Luau, eight songs that sound sunnier than you would expect based on their enigmatic titles. The melodies are original, refreshing and danceable, performed with skills and feeling, more like a gentle caress of a coastal breeze than a terrifying rogue wave of sound.



Pazuzu Luau is out now digitally (self-released). The Great Rinaldi also features Fabian Hernandez (saxophone) and Michael Berry (keyboard), and on Wolfman Stomp you’ll hear Michael Seng (lead guitar).

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Ponta Preta || Way Out West!

By / / Garage Rock, Psych, Surf / Leave a Comment

Four years after their self-titled debut EP and two years after their first full-length Tit’s Up, French psych pop/surf rock band Ponta Preta returns with their sophomore album Way Out West!. The four friends – Alexis Delekta, Félix Levious, Pierre Labaune and Valentin Gerdil – obviously share a common love for American West Coast music, but the way they combine psychedelic pop, garage rock and surf influences, it makes sense that they are releasing these nine new songs not before but after the summer. This is basically a laid-back autumn soundtrack with addictive guitar melodies and a melancholic atmosphere, but sharp edges reveal that the waves are slightly higher and more dangerous during this period.



Way Out West! is out now digitally and on vinyl LP through Le Surf Records.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Discogs

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