Posts Tagged ‘Davin Stoddard’

SURF CITY – ” New York City “

Posted: April 7, 2015 in MUSIC
Tags: , , , , ,
0

Surf City – NYC – taken from the album “We Knew It Was Not Going To Be Like This” Out Now on Arch Hill Recordings and Fire Records, 

From Auckland, in  New Zealand’s Surf City draws from the more languid and loose traditions of indie rock and Flying Nun’s melodic sensibilities, merging the two in songs that are both dense and immediate. Founded by Josh Kennedy and Davin Stoddard in 2004, the band was originally titled Kill Surf City, named in honor of a Jesus and Mary Chain b-side. Recruiting the rhythm section of Logan Collins and Jamie Kennedy, the band toured New Zealand and Australia, eventually scoring a spot opening for the then-recently reunited Dinosaur Jr. and signing with Arch Hill to release their first EP. Their debut LP, 2010’s “Kudos”, found critical acclaim from critics on both sides of the Atlantic, as did its followup, 2013’s “We Knew It Was Going To Be Like This”. Their newest album, this year’s Jekyll Island, finds Stoddard performing with a new lineup of the group, consisting of guitarist Jamie Kennedy and the rhythm section of Mike Ellis and Andy Frost. Despite the band’s new lineup, their long-running melodic and clean tones are still dominant on “Spec City”. Stoddard’s nasally vocals float alongside a “Sometimes Always”-esque jangle melody as the song rolls along, ebbing and flowing up and down a spaced-out, reverb-drenched wave of guitars. Not unlike its title’s similarity to its author’s, “Spec City” condenses the myriad indie rock-based strengths of Surf City and packages them as directly as the band ever has.

Surf City will support Jekyll Island with the band’s first-ever European tour next month, so be sure to keep up with the band’s adventures over at their Facebook. Below, watch the band’s video for their 2013 tack “NYC”.

 

SURF CITY – ” NYC “

Posted: March 6, 2015 in MUSIC
Tags: , , ,
0

http://

New Zealand band Surf City’s latest album We Knew It Was Not Going To Be Like This continues their love affair with psychedelic, reverb-swathed guitar pop, drawing from their Flying Nun forefathers The Clean and The Chills, as well as the fuzzed-up dream pop of The Jesus and Mary Chain and the loopy noise of Animal Collective. This time round the songwriting is stronger, the tunes are hookier and the sound is even more lush.
Named after a random snippet of overhead conversation in a crowded South Korean bar, We Knew It Was Not Going To Be Like This captures a haze of broken connections, isolation in the belly of the city. Recorded in snippets from different corners of the world – New Zealand, New York and South Korea – this is their second to be released via London label Fire Records, whose back catalogue boasts a host of classic dreamy acts such as Spacemen 3 and Bailterspace, as well as newer Antipodean bands such as Opossom, Blank Realm, Lower Plenty and Scott & Charlene’s Wedding.

Initially a four-piece formed by Davin Stoddard and Josh Kennedy with Josh’s brother Jamie on bass and Logan Collins on drums, Surf City released their debut EP in 2008. Arch Hill went on to put out their debut album Kudos domestically in 2010, before it was released worldwide by Fire Records in 2011.