Surf City - Kudos
by Tara McEvoy
published: 13 / 11 / 2010

Label:
Fire Records
Format: CD
intro
Monotonous and gimmicky stoner pop on debut album from hyped New Zealand-based band, Surf City
The latest in a long line of bands such as Wavves and Best Coast, the kind of folks who work hard, play hard, and go heavy on the distortion, New Zealand group Surf City have recently released debut album 'Kudos'. The question now, however, is this – are the band just surfing a tidal wave of hype, or did they follow through with a record worthy of riding out the expectations, and delivering the goods? ‘See How The Sun’ is a promising opening, reminiscent of bands such as Simon Says No!, maybe even a slightly less melodic MGMT, yet as the album progresses the initially innovative DIY sensibility, refreshing in this age of polished production, grates, seeming more like a tacky gimmick than some remaining vestige of punk attitude. There are moments that manage to captivate one’s attention(the wonderfully wasted 'Yakuza Park' being one), yet, sadly, not nearly enough of them to sustain interest - it sounds like you’ve been listening to the same song for half an hour, and like a song that wasn’t even that enjoyable to begin with. This is an album jam-packed with three minute bursts of summery, stoner pop that, on their own, represent a listenable, perhaps even slightly enjoyable slice of music at the moment. Yet as an album, I, for one, am not sure this will deliver Surf City the Kudos they’re aiming towards.
Track Listing:-
1 Crazy Rulers Of The World2 See How The Sun
3 Kudos
4 Icy Lakes
5 Teacher
6 Yakuza Park
7 Retro
8 In Times Of Approach...
9 Autumn
10 CIA
11 Zombies
Band Links:-
https://www.facebook.com/killsurfcityLabel Links:-
https://twitter.com/firerecordingshttps://www.facebook.com/Firerecords
http://www.firerecords.com/
https://firerecords.bandcamp.com/
https://instagram.com/fire_records/
https://www.youtube.com/user/FirerecordsUK
Have a Listen:-
reviews |
Jekyll Island (2015) |
![]() |
Engaging psychedelia on summery third album from New Zealand-based band, Surf City |
We Knew It Was Not Going to be Like This (2013) |
most viewed articles
current edition
Peter Doherty - Blackheath Halls, Blackheath and Palace Halls, Watford, 18/3/2025 and 21/3/2025Armory Show - Interview with Richard Jobson
Liz Mitchell - Interview
Deb Googe and Cara Tivey - Interview
Lauren Mayberry - Photoscapes
Max Bianco and the BlueHearts - Troubadour, London, 29/3/2025
Maarten Schiethart - Vinyl Stories
Sukie Smith - Interview
Clive Langer - Interview
Kim Wilde - Photoscapes
most viewed reviews
current edition
Davey Woodward - Mumbo in the JumboNigel Stonier - Wolf Notes
Wings - Venus and Mars
Only Child - Holy Ghosts
Kate Daisy Grant and Nick Pynn - Songs For The Trees
Neil Campbell - The Turnaround
Philip Jeays - Victoria
Darkness - Dreams On Toast
Suzanne Vega - Flying With Angels
Charles Ellsworth - Cosmic Cannon Fodder
Pennyblackmusic Regular Contributors
Adrian Janes
Amanda J. Window
Andrew Twambley
Anthony Dhanendran
Benjamin Howarth
Cila Warncke
Daniel Cressey
Darren Aston
Dastardly
Dave Goodwin
Denzil Watson
Dominic B. Simpson
Eoghan Lyng
Fiona Hutchings
Harry Sherriff
Helen Tipping
Jamie Rowland
John Clarkson
Julie Cruickshank
Kimberly Bright
Lisa Torem
Maarten Schiethart