I get how it can be. As you release more material, you run out of ideas. You fall into what's comfortable and your music sounds routine. You lose the spark of when you first started the band. At least I think that's how it goes. Mark, what's your secret for going in the opposite direction? How come each record is at least 5% better than the last one?
5% might not sound like much to get excited over, but first of all they started pretty good in 2017 with their comeback record Return Of... (The Wasagas were originally around in 1979-1982!), and traditional surf is a game of inches. And yes, I'd call this a traditional surf record! Whereas some of their previous releases had guitar tone yanked from other decades, this mostly sticks to surfy reverb (never quite Astronauts deep drip but most traditional surf bands didn't sound like The Astronauts) and maybe a few closer to The Shadows. They may toss the word punk around in their branding, but it's not overtly in here, and I bet it helps a little bit with getting gigs ;-)
The most crucial thing is the songwriting, where each song is a concise idea with neat-and-tidy riffs. That's always been there, but I think Mark has gotten better and better at finding musical phrases that feel good, and giving them the support and space they need to shine. I'm impressed at how this group that I think of being a very live show-oriented, maybe even "party" band had me grooving to the slinky, spooky, and slow "Night Stalker". "Love in Liverpool" is a great Shadows-style tune, digging deep and grabbing your attention halfway through.
But of course it's the surfy surf kinda surf that needs mentioning, and there's a good helping of it! Jellyfish Attack, Reef Break, Impact Zone, Surfer's Cross, Moonstone Surfer, Kick Trick are a few worth mentioning, but that's because I feel like I had to pick a few -- I liked everything, no skipsies. Three tracks from last year's Pepper Stomp EP are on here, but with 16 tracks total it doesn't feel like you're retreading.
Knock Me Out is a real good time full of delicious, light surfy snacks. The upbeat attitude of Mark Malibu & the Wasagas comes across in their music and is something rarely felt in today's surf music in such a genuine, uncheesy way. Looking forward to the next record, which will probably be 5% better than this one!
It's out on CD, bandcamp, and vinyl. And there's a picture of it on an 8-track but that's a gag. Maybe if enough weirdos petition them.
