Surfer Blood shares sage advice and new album details in a quick interview

text by Sarah Thomas

With a new album slated for release in 2020, Surfer Blood is as fresh as ever with their latest EP release, Hourly Haunts. Finishing up a tour with a performance at Riot Fest, the band took time out of their schedule to answer a few quick questions about their upcoming album and give advice to budding musicians.

Sarah Thomas: How would you say this new EP differs from 1000 Palms?

JP: That’s a good question. It’s not very technical. It’s just three-chord songs, played really fast, and that’s it. That’s what we’re trying to do now. 

ST: Can you speak on that a little bit about being self-produced…

JP: The good news is that Micheal and I are both very into the engineering thing, and we’ve been working on it for years. Recording ourselves is great.

Micheal: We definitely took our time with this record. We didn’t have to worry about paying an hourly fee and we kind of just explored what we thought sounded cool and different. We just took our time and had a lot of fun with it on this record. 

ST: So what’s some advice for being a good musician in general? 

Lindsey:  You gotta love it. All of the musicians that I love the most don’t necessarily have like all of the technical abilities that some of the greats surely do, but they have soul. And all of my favorites are just in love with the music and that’s what comes through.

JP: Work hard, play shows outside of your hometown, and don’t worry about merch or t-shirts. Like if a band is playing their first show and they have like five different t-shirts.

L: Yeah, lower your overhead.

JP: Also, never forget it’s an art form.

Micheal: Never think you know it all. When you think you’ve learned it all and done it all, just keep honing your craft and learning. Learn the insides and outs of everything you love. 

Tyler: If there are dishes in the kitchen and you’re staying at someone’s place and it’s not that weird, you can politely wash them. That’s something nice to do.

M: It’s the little things.

ST: Who’s your favorite artist and song as of right now?

L: My favorite song right now is a New York artist named Gemma, and the song is called “Keep on Dancing.” It’s so good, I’m obsessed.

JP: Ultimate Painting, it’s a British band. The song is called “Woken by Noises.”

M: I’m like the classic rock dad playlist guy in the band, but I do appreciate hearing new stuff. What do I play all of the time? I feel like my friends know me better than myself.

JP: The Eagles, “Take it Easy” !

M: Oh yeah! The original “Take it Easy.”

T: That’s a hard question actually.

ST: How about favorite karaoke song?

TJ: Oh! Roy Robertson’s “Crying.” It makes me feel alright.

ST: Awesome, thank you and good luck with the set!