Surf Rock Is Dead
Existential Playboy
Self-released
Listen Below
Most bands can be described with a single emotion. Hanson are happy. The Smiths are sad. Slayer is angry. Sure, there are shades of gray in there, but not much.
It's not just about the nature of music, but how we perceive it. As fans and listeners, we categorize bands based upon how they sound and how they make us feel and that's pretty much where artists live for us. But Surf Rock Is Dead's Existential Playboy, the Brooklyn-based duo's debut LP, is ‘80s-influenced pop that rejects the premise, flitting between emotional states.
Surf Rock Is Dead, a.k.a. Kevin Pariso and Joel Witenberg, set up their songs by punctuating sadly intense runs with upbeat explosions. As Dolly Parton taught us in Steel Magnolias, laughter through tears can be a favorite emotion. But it's not only her character who feels that way. A lot of us enjoy that combination, too. Because there's a bit of a rush when the emotional weather changes. Surf Rock Is Dead get that, using New Wave sounds to evoke different sentiments within the same song.
In a weird way, Existential Playboy reboots the New Wave sound back to its origins. Because those bands, like Joy Division and the Smiths, didn't grow up listening to New Wave. They were influenced by the often-more upbeat music of their times and their childhood. Consider this: I recently learned that the Smiths copped the intro to "How Soon Is Now" from the Rolling Stones' "Mona," the Stones, of course, having taken it from Bo Diddley, the emotional arc working backwards through time from depressing to joyful.
On "Diabolik," Pariso and Witenberg continuously flip the energy of the tune, bopping verses turning into dark bridges and skidding back into poppy choruses. Pariso's guitar cuts through the song, alternating between Lou Reed rhythmic mania and Shadows' tremolo-bent flourishes. The lyrics keep things darker with lines like "You won’t ever see the light / You said everything’s alright." Pariso and Witenberg share vocals, sometimes simultaneously, sometimes separately, their voices just similar enough that you can't separate the reverb from the humanity. There are lots of typically ‘80s touches in the song, and it's very easy to get caught up in that. But if you dig past the shimmery guitars and mechanical beats, you're rewarded with genuine soul and pop delights.
Pariso and Witenberg might be aware of the limits of their chosen genre, because they end the album on "always learning what not to do," a simple country folk tune. The song's foundation is a plain guitar strum and drum beat, and while the song is adorned with pretty guitar riffs and various digital textures, it would be every bit as beautiful with just an acoustic guitar. But the beauty of the track is how easily it allows you to see the bones of a solid song.
Listeners attach their own emotions to artists' sounds, but artists are often aware of what their audience wants. It's hard to say how much weight bands give to these expectations, but lots of musicians often seem trapped in the desires of their fans. For a newer project like Surf Rock Is Dead, fans and band are both working with a relatively clean slate. But it's fun to hear a group that doesn't feel too locked into anything but presenting cool songs that leave you with a multitude of feelings.
Notable Tracks: “always learning what not to do” | “Diabolik” | “Typical Cliché”
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