Los Angeles – At this point, the idea of contemporary surf rock has lost the novelty it had when it was first being unearthed by a new generation of underground artists. From The Sadies of Toronto, to Grass Widow of San Francisco, to Guantanamo Baywatch of Portland, it seems as if surf rock has been “rediscovered” every few years, albeit in a different scene or location each time. The newest addition to the roster of bands infusing surf rock with a touch of modern indie rock is Seattle, WA’s La Luz. Despite operating in an ever crowded field of bands bent on revitalizing the surfy sounds of the 60’s, their most recent release Weirdo Shrine (Hardly Art) stands out as a must-listen for 2015.
While the band cut their teeth in the competitive Pacific Northwest underground rock scene, this album was recorded, appropriately, in a Southern California surfboard manufacturing shop with the help of garage-rock gonzo Ty Segall serving as producer and engineer. Drawing heavy inspiration from sources like beatnik poet Richard Brautigan and the dark graphic novel Black Hole, the album emerges from the pack with an overwhelming sense of melancholy and foreboding. If the band’s sound was not already darker than their contemporaries, a traumatic high-speed collision while on tour cemented the band’s approach; Weirdo Shrine owes much more to “Dead Man’s Curve” than it does “Surfin’ Safari”.
The mood is set immediately by “Sleep Till They Die”, introducing the listener to the “surf noir” of Shana Cleveland (guitar), Alice Sandahl (keyboard), Lena Simon (bass), and Marian Li Pino (drums). After following up the powerful introduction with “You Disappear” and “With Davey”, the album shifts gears a bit on first single “Don’t Wanna Be Here Anymore”. Much more straightforward than the previous three songs, it opens with a meandering, unhinged solo from Cleveland and then heads into classic surf pop, replete with all of the trademark harmonies and melodies of the genre. Everyone in La Luz have a hand in the vocal duties, a sonic facet that is integral to launching the band to the top of the surf rock revivalist heap.
The track listing is perfectly arranged, keeping the listener engaged throughout. It opens with a heavy mist of darkness during its first half, which gradually gets pulled back song by song. Once the band reaches the album’s midpoint, they reach a state of surf-punk clairvoyance and pummel the listener with songs that prominently feature rollicking vintage surf guitar solos. “Hey Papi” is a classic surf punk instrumental in the vein of Man or Astro-Man? while the bopping bass-led intro of “I Wanna Be Alone (With You)” and it’s lightly strummed, reverberating guitars bolster the vocally driven track. Slowly but surely, the darkness that receded from the album’s tracks makes its way back into the picture, with “Oranges” and “True Loves Knows” re-introducing the darkness found at the album’s opening.
La Luz has taken their game up a notch following what could have been a career-ending touring accident. With a lower-fidelity sound than its precursor, Weirdo Shrine casts itself as one of the best and most unique reinterpretations of the new decades-old surf rock genre.
The band has been hard at work on the road in support of their second full-length, with tour dates in nearly every region of the United States. In mid-September the band hops across the Atlantic for a full European tour.
Visit La Luz HERE and HERE for more information on those shows.
Photo by Andrew Imanaka
Matt Matasci
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