Alternative Indie band Surf Curse just released their 4th studio album, Magic Hour. Their fans have been demanding new music since the release of their last album in 2019, Heaven Surrounds You. Nick and Jacob were getting tired of their recurring complaints from their first album Buds in 2013 to their last album Heaven Surrounds You in 2019. With fans saying all their songs sound the same, they knew then that they needed to take the band to the next level if they wanted to keep up with their fans, so they started “searching for the magic.” They knew that if they were going to take things to the next level, they needed more of a band than just the two of them, so they found Henry Dillon for bass and Noah Kholl on guitar.  With the addition of Henry and Noah the band’s confidence soared, becoming more like a real band rather than just friends making music. Surf Curse calls their new album a collage of rock and roll. Songs like “TVI,” “Lost Honor,” and “Self Portrait” emanate classic Surf Curse sound, but then songs like “No Tomorrows,” “Fear City,” and “Cathy” all have a new sound, which is exactly what fans wanted.

The band’s new sound is what they hope to one day be called classic rock. Nick and Jacob have said in interviews that they pulled inspiration from the Rolling Stones, Sonic Youth, and The Pixies and many more classic rock or grunge bands and added their own musical twist to refine the genre of Surf Curse and hopefully rock and roll in general. 

However, to understand the new sound, we first have to understand the old sound. We’re going to take their biggest hit, “Freaks.” To fully break down “Freaks,” we need to talk about the way Surf Curse used to structure songs. When someone thinks of Surf Curse I’d imagine the first thing to come to mind is that driving guitar riff of “Freaks.” It uses a very simple structure, chords, a catchy riff to repeat on the guitar and finally Nick’s drums. “Freaks” is a perfect model of this old structure; the song wastes no time and immediately starts with the drums, chords, and the riff. The structure of this song doesn’t change throughout the whole two and a half minutes of the song. This is how Nick and Jacob used to write and record all of their songs.

Now with the additional minds of Noah and Henry, the band has branched off from that plain structure. “Unwell” is a perfect example of their new-found freedom.The song starts with bass, which is a first for Surf Curse, then progresses into the verse, which is guitar, bass, and drums. The guitar already sounds much happier and jingly than the “old Surf Curse.” Then the song completely changes when it gets to the bridge and changes again in the chorus where the old anger and angst comes out and the instruments get more and more heavy behind Nick’s screaming. And to end the song, the guitar, drums, and bass fades out, leaving us with a beautiful string section and piano, another thing Surf Curse has never done.

Surf Curse’s live sound has also been changing. A couple years ago, before Henry and Noah joined the project, Nick and Jacob were playing smaller clubs, with more rowdy and less organized shows. Not to say that they played worse shows; they were just different sounding – more punk and grunge with only drums and guitar. I saw them live on their most recent tour in San Francisco, and they sounded amazing. They were able to turn their 2 minute songs into these 6 or 7 minute jams. They also just have a very fun stage presence, talking and laughing with the crowd after most songs, which is a key factor for a  good band. Surf Curses is now playing bigger shows than ever before, too, playing at Coachella and Corona Capital Festival just this year, along with going on an American and European tour.

Personally I agree with the complaints that their music was getting repetitive. As a big fan and as someone who listens to probably too much Surf Curse, I was absolutely so thrilled when I heard their new album. I think that as a band the most important thing is taking the criticism of your fans and listening to them. This latest Magic Hour album is the perfect example of how all bands should be. They perfectly delivered a brand new sound, and that is just what fans were asking for. Magic Hour is truly the perfect modern age rock album that should make every rock fan excited and inspired for the future of the genre. The album already sounds timeless, like it could be an old pixies record from the 80s or 90s.