Surf City — “Canned Food” — Surf City EP
The kiwi-pop revival continues apace, now with actual kiwis at the helm! No disrespect, Jay Reatard. Man, how lucky am I that shoegaze and C86 and Flying Nun-type stuff all came back into fashion at once? I’m just dreading the day the zeitgeist shifts and I’m left blasting “Canned Food” from my apartment like New Zealand is the only thing getting me through this life. As with luminary ancestors The Clean, Surf City are grimly methodical in their hookiness—unrelenting, even—with a scant few clearings that try to stave off the messy, piston-driving guitars rather than carve out a place for quiet. There’s a steampunk machinery to each track, of something technically sophisticated dressed up in gold-trimmed wood finish and a ten-gallon hat. Perfect for anyone who wishes they could enjoy Times New Viking.
