Surprise Party “Dull”

Surprise Party are a trio who offer an intriguing sound that is compared to noise heavy bands like Pavement and Dinosaur Jr but with the added bonus of the melodies of the likes of The Replacements or Cheap Trick. That’s some pretty heavyweight names to mention, so we were definitely excited to see what this release would offer up.
There’s certainly an element of surprise within this release as it offers such a varied sound. It begins with the instantly appealing “Crabs”. Together with songs like “Surf Cops”, there’s a surf vibe to many of the tracks on this album. Indeed, they seem perfect for a beach party.
However, that is just one element of the band. On “Talking In Your Sleep”, “Nine” and “Get Clean” they offer up more of a pure pop sound. Although those songs still bring the feeling of lazy sunny days (something that we need in our lives during a very cold UK winter!).
Things really hit a high with the irresistible jangly pop of “Skinny People” and the slightly more rocking “She Plays Wide”. Indeed, together with “Drifting” and “Show Me The Money” they manage to blend a US alternative feel with a power pop sound. Somewhat weirdly, the sound isn’t a million miles away from Brit Pop despite being very American…figure that one out!
Having had to survive what feels like a long cold winter in the UK this is the perfect album to warm you up. It’s power pop and surf combination will have you dreaming of warm sandy beaches. Importantly, it also retains a sense of grit which stops it becoming too unbearably ‘sunny’. Maybe that’s the bit which brings a bit of a British pop feel in to the mix!