Surf Curse - Heaven Surrounds You

Surf as a sea phenomenon is obviously in the minds of many musicians who were born or live along the vast oceans of this world and it is often a mark of their capabilities whether they are able to touch upon the imagination of not only the listeners that are familiar but also those that never had a chance to experience surf as a phenomenon.

It is then no wonder that Nick Rattigan and Jacob Rubeck, a Los Angeles duo, have named themselves Surf Curse, the ocean seems to be as much in their mind as it is for The Bach Boys, or say, any of Australian or New Zealand bands who are quite familiar with oceans. And it is The Beach Boys, other California bands as well as The Go-Betweens, The Clean and The Bats that come to mind listening to Surf Curse’s third album Heaven Surrounds You.

Not to limit themselves to the ocean, there’s an evident touch of prime The Cure, without Robert Smith’s gothic touches, or at least most of them. I don’t know what the previous two Surf Curse albums sound like, but on Heaven Surrounds You the duo have nothing to be ashamed of any above-mentioned comparisons. Woods producer Jarvis Taveniere was able to exude all the key elements what made, say The Clean sound such a great one out of the duo’s subconsciousness and turn it into a set of exuberant, perky and utterly listenable set of songs.

The key lies in the fact that Rattigan and Rubeck were able to transcend all their influences, at the same time recalling and injecting something of their own into their influences. Tracks like “River’s Edge”, “Safe” and “Hour of The Wolf” (as do any other on the album) at the same time remind of all Surf Curse’s influences and are still able to remain something specific and something that just itches your fingers to press that replay button.