- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
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Nov 11, 2013There’s a handful of ballads too--the surest sign of maturity--but just when we think they’ve given up the pacy numbers forever, they sucker-punch us at the death with the perfect one-two combo of ‘Unwanted Place’ and ‘Young’.
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Nov 6, 2013"Indie rock" has long since ceased to be either "indie" or "rock," of course, but Surfing Strange signifies on both counts, just when we desperately needed a refresher on the fundamentals.
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Nov 1, 2013Surfing Strange has the band gliding over waves at record height, with barely a single hiccup.
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Nov 1, 2013Surfing Strange is a picture of a band not in transition, but in an especially quick process of maturation. The results end up being no less instantly exciting, but more lasting and poignant than what came before.
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Nov 1, 2013This is everything a punk record should be; abrasive, aggressive, occasionally a little gauche, but with an emotional core that’s unmistakeable, and that elevates Surfing Strange from a enjoyable album to a genuinely gripping one.
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Nov 4, 2013Surfing takes the disenchanted bits of Swearin' and blows them out into 34 minutes of honed unrest—it's a self-aware, deliberate, and ultimately truthful sophomore slump.
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Nov 18, 2013Surfing Strange has a bit more substance and variety [than its first LP]. Neither betters the other but they complement each other nicely forming the bulk of the band’s discography.
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Nov 14, 2013Surfing Strange is a tight and coherent little album whose greatest strength lies in its youthful energy and sense of the ups and downs of the early twenties--the lows of uncertainty and malaise, and the highs of excitement and anticipation.
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Nov 8, 2013Frustratingly, the album’s lowest point comes directly after one of its high points.... That’s not to say that Surfing Strange isn’t impressive as a whole.
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Nov 6, 2013If you're looking for a guided tour of the eternal-turning-23 blues, you can't do better than the second Swearin' album.
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Nov 5, 2013Swearin’ have reached the point where they’re almost too good at what they do. Surfing Strange boasts impeccable museum pieces, but its scuffed edges are what draw in the deepest.
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UncutNov 1, 2013Surfing Strange hits similar touchstones to Waxahatchee--Sebadoh, The Breeders, that whole '90s grunge wave--albeit with rather more noisy brio. [Dec 2013, p.74]
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Nov 1, 2013Surfing Strange feels like a transitional album, as the group look to define themselves with their artistic voice, rather than those of their influences.
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Nov 19, 2013It’s a familiar story to hear DIY bands frustratingly avoiding their past strengths once they secure some proper studio time; both records have a more “mature” sound than their lo-fi predecessors, but I find the songwriting largely forgettable.
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Nov 14, 2013Unfortunately, Swearin’s touchstones seem to be catching up with them, and the result is a strong album that nevertheless feels overtly, distractingly derivative in spots.