Surfer Blood

It’s truly no wonder why baby-faced Floridians Surfer Blood have been acquiring so much hype of late. The fourpiece (who recently made a stop at Isla Vista’s itty bitty Pink Mailbox) have put together an album that rivals some of the best debuts we’ve heard of late. Between the garagey rawness of opener “Floating Vibes” and the Pavement-inspired simplicity of closing track “Catholic Pagans,” Astro Coast touches on everything from post-punk shoegaze to bouncy throwback pop. That Surfer Blood are able to jump styles so easily is no huge feat, but that they can do so without sounding jumbled (or forced) is damn near miraculous. Among the highlights here, “Twin Peaks” mixes Weezer’s lyrical cleverness with Cursive’s in-your-face buildups and scream-sing delivery, while “Anchorage” delivers nearly six-and-a-half minutes of lo-fi, distortion-sprinkled goodness. Kudos, kiddos.