Modern surf is always a large category because most of us by default are modern people doing modern things, creating modern works. So it's always going to be a big category. And its not really something you can define: it's not traditional surf, it's not too aggressive, but it's still surf, and that amorphousness also means that there's a lot of things that you could call "modern surf". So what I'm getting at here is hoo boy, do I have a lot of things on here. And when I have this many things you might think "well did anything not make the cut? Absolutely, there were a lot of good and even great surf records not on this list, a few that felt like snubs, and the crazy thing is I wanted to cut more. But the thing is, I couldn't! I felt like nearly all of these in their own way had a claim for the top spot. And especially interesting, they all brough something unique to the table, not even an opportunity for one to "cancel another out".
And I guess that's a good problem to have. So here are TWELVE very interesting and excellently crafted surf records, and one that after a LOT of thought, I decided I liked the most. In no specific order except for the last one.
Honorable Mentions
Albert Gines - Exotic Surf Sounds
This is a compilation of sorts, with most of these songs released as singles over the last few years on Abert's bandcamp page, but they come together Mary quite cohesively as a full album. Key to these songs, and his sound in general, is the pulsating exotica-esque rhythm -- something that's been key to his sound for a while and he's gotten very good at. But what really completes it all is his low-key, maybe even intimate approach to surf songwriting. These are not only really enjoyable songs melodically, but there's a fantastic mood to this album
The Frigidaires - Hot Vacation
The Frigidaires haven't changed the formula since their debut record Play it Cool, but with their follow-up they feel locked-in and ready to go. I'm always happy to hear the might and depth that a band with a 3-guitar attack can bring, but it's the range of this album that really makes it notable. You have heavy surf crashers, latin flair, a bit of exotica, some Western gallop, fuzz, and regular ol' surf songs. They have an ear for a memorable riff, and an ability to push that simple repetitive bit to something more. They've also got several tracks of vocal surf pop, which I'm not going to add to the scoreboard (there isn't one), but you're not going to come across earnest Beach Boys style vocal harmonies like this very often. This is a something-for-everyone record, and one of those ones where each listen might reveal a different favorite.
Desert Undertones - En Regalia
We didn't have to wait long for more from these ascending surf stars: less than a year! That short turnaround was not for lack of ideas however, as this is just as impactful as their debut if not more. Desert Undertones have such a knack for writing songs that feel like they have a purpose, a place, and perhaps even a narrative, much in the way that I think draws people to The Madeira (not a comparison made lightly!). Dylan Oldham has a remarkable ability to switch cleanly between immersive guitar flutter and poignant riffs, and with help from the bass it's easy to forget that it's a trio. Meanwhile, these are some of the most noteworthy drums I've heard this year, not just supporting guitar but sometimes serving as a formidable double dragon alongside it with its own story. This band is fascinating.
The Riptide Rats - Waves of Steel
There's modern surf groups that are expanding the definition of surf, and then there are some that are plainly surf but sound like modern bands instead of vintage ones. Sweden's Riptide Rats are firmly in the latter camp, with a pure surf sound and not a hint of much else, and they're not going to apologize for it. Nor should they! But what they really bring to the table here is swagger. The Riptide Rats sound loud at any volume, and while every track isn't a fast & furious screamer, it's pretty clear they have no interest in a ballad. I love a band with a debut LP that feels like it's a show of confidence, and you win! I yield! It's earned!'
WJLP - Interstellar Overbite - The Mello Sound of William J Le Petomane
The "Mello" sound here refers to charming and quirky piece of British hardware known as The Mellotron, and while the guitar playing here is excellent, the intricate rhythms of that machine are what set this apart. What results is stinging, sharp guitar doin' the tango with punctual and surly percussion that sounds like a beautifully designed machine (which it is, but in my head it's got lots of cogs, like an old analog wristwatch). It's kitschy without sounding mothballed, more like a dive into a direction of retro aesthetic that was never properly explored. Charming, fun, weird, good. As always from WJLP.
The Wild Heart Revival - Surf Instrumentals
This album starts with a warm and cozy song primarily featuring acoustic guitar that makes you wonder if perhaps they took a wrong turn on the way to surf music, but it's nice enough to stay. Maybe another album would have this be the soft intro to the real knockout track, but it's not. There is no knockout track. But this isn't a record full of sundowners, it's not a whole album full of Sleepwalks and Theme from The Endless Summers. This album, largely a solo effort from underwater photographer Lesley Lowe, is a different take on surf music, but it doesn't feel like it's tearing up the rulebook. It feels like parallel evolution -- a different animal but largely the same thing, and in the gaps that would normally be filled with the 60's teenage anarchy we get a sincerity and warmth that I didn't know was missing until I found it here. This is a fascinating, enchanting record, that I hope finds people that enjoyed it as much as I did.
Sun Bus - Tune In, Turn Up, Paddle Out
To me, a big draw for surf music is that it can feel larger than life. It can feel heroic and anthemic and energy-charged in a way that not only could my life never be, but would be traumatizing if it were. Sun Bus knows what I'm talking about. They pass out risk-free endorphins with their music, and do so with a sunny disposition that never threatens a smile on your face. Even when they're not high-energy, their arrangements are unique and fun, with great guitar textures and also nice touches on the keys. This is only 6 tracks, but it was one of my most listened-to albums of the year.
LHD - Summer Is Over
Everybody loves The Bambi Molesters, and yet this band that's three quarters Bambi Molesters still seems a bit under the radar. And sure, LHD is about the opposite in terms of attention-getting band names, and their first LP didn't quite click with me, and the Bambi missing from this was lead guitarist. But I think LHD is a more ambitious and unique project, and Summer is Over is a statement that this isn't the band from the ashes of Bambi Molesters, this is a special band on their own.
The tough thing is that it's hard to define what this is. It's not quite far enough away from surf to think of it as anything else, but the guitar, frequently quaking with vibrato, feel curious, inquisitive and always looking for a new angle. There's less of a surf propulsion and more of a jazzy, explorative mindset to it (interestingly, still a bit of a different feel than when I saw them live). Simply put, it's a much more challenging record than most most on here, and while they may speak the language of surf, they don't coast on the listener's familiarity with the genre. With greater challenge comes reward though, and upon each listen little creative bits become more prominent and satisfying.
The Chi-Tones - Salsipuedes
The word of the day here is "maximalist", with more instruments in play than you can likely keep track of, nearly all of them played by Chi McClean. And while I think it reads pretty easily as surf music, there's also a no-rules approach: sitar on a spaghetti western track? Sure! The most toy piano I've ever heard on a surf record? By a good margin! This could fall into the trap of being a pretentious mess, but the melodies are remarkably easy to track, and are steadfastly bright, upbeat, and fun. One person this many overdubs must be at least a little tedious, but I have to doubt it too because this has all the vibrancy of a group of musicians enjoying playing together. One of the big out-of-nowhere surprises for 2025!
Mary Ann Hawkins - Helsinki Surf City
Mary Ann Hawkins' first LP won this category a few years ago, and remains one of the most exciting start-to-finish surf releases I've heard in years. With their follow-up they show you they've got more of that and a few new tricks: vocal tracks, disco, noir.... and, well, if they didn't do some of those, they might have won it again.
Sure, I didn't like the vocals especially, and I don't want to dissuade a band from challenging themselves. So let's focus on their bread-and-butter. The magnitude of this band's sound, bolstered by a brass section, and the speed at which they yield it, is truly something unique and breathtaking. "Ghost of Mary Ann Hawkins" is such a tremendous white-knuckle ride that it feels like it should soundtrack something, but what human activity could match its intensity? But it's not just their speed, it's their ability to conjure drama like on "Spomenik Beat". While their diversions ultimately felt like diversions, to only listen to their first record is to deprive yourself. They've lost nothing, they're just trying some things.
Marty Stuart and his Fabulous Superlatives - Space Junk
On Record Store Day in 2025 there were two surfy records available, and I chose the one that was more overtly surfy. I chose WRONG! And unfortunately I couldn't find a copy of this in any of the post-Record Store Day bins of the record stores I visited. It remained off streaming and out of stores until November, and by then I'd heard plenty of chatter.
I'm not familiar with Marty Stuart, but a lot of the facebook surf group crowd is. He's a country singer who's won a Grammy (a much easier award to get than a Gremmy), and whenever one of these bigshots from outside the genre comes in it's hard to listen with a level head. So when I finally got around to hearing this, I was a little wary. But for an album that calls itself "junk", there sure is a lot of it and there are appears to be a lot of care put into it! A lot of these songs have a strings section! And to this bigtimer's credit, the production value isn't there for whizz-bang. It's a fairly easy-going record, even with the strings, and guitar really takes center stage. Because it sure can. Marty's country-picking is audibly dexterous but confidently casual, and when he lets it ring out it feels so imbued with meaning and intent. Just like how Johnny Cash can read the phone book in a way that pulls you in, so can Marty Stuart, a singer, play guitar.* So yeah, the rumors were true. These are 20 tracks of great music.
*Marty Stuart started out in Johnny Cash's band. I only realized that after I wrote that line.
Machetes
When I listen to Machetes I think of Laika and the Cosmonauts, and to evoke that band at all is a compliment. It's not just liberal use of tremolo, but the wide open, playful, and adventurous feel that they have. But you would never mistake the two, especially because Machetes infuse their music with a much more slash-and-burn attitude, and are happy to give in to chaos. I'm ashamed to say that this was my first exposure to them, but dipping into their backcatalog I do think this is their most focused, energized, and best record so far.
And the Gremmy Goes to...
The Woodhavens - Barkada
One thing I noticed putting this list together is that there were a lot of records that were mostly made by a single person. And that's not a negative, they made the list after all, but it's also cool to see a record that's very much the opposite. BARKADA, roughly speaking, means a gang of friends, and I think that brings along sub-themes of community and inclusivity. This album is a blossoming flower of a very active Pacific Northwest surf scene, not just in its members (who have been among the ranks of The Evanstones, The Delstroyers, and other groups) but released on Washington's Double Crown Records* and recorded at Evan Foster's No-Count studios. He even lends a hand on guitar here and there. And even seeing them live was a reminder that they and I are a part of a surf community as well. There are a lot of reasons why this resonates right now, but in an age of AI music, it's nice to have an album overtly about people that's full of context and meaning.
With that lofty intro, let's get back to earth. This is a plainclothes surf album with no special tricks. I think it takes about 10 seconds to get excited about this album as the rapid-fire lick of "Bodega Run" is joined by a kick drum telling you that we're just getting started. It's fast and loud but stops short of savage. Now, I wish I knew what makes a song feel "nice", I just know how I feel, but each of the first three track llets you know that despite that cavernous, strong, heavily reverbed guitar, this music is not a threat. In fact, with things arranged a little different, somebody might have been able to write a love song with the same melodies from "Barkada" and "The Heat" or "Andiamo", but I like them this way. While I can't quite place a specific aspect of the music to it, the punk background of some of the members does feel quite present (and if you yourself don't have a punk background, there are plenty of punk bands that can be warm and fuzzy too).
And I think that's what makes this album special: its ability to be seen from different angles. Do you want something with muscle? Plenty of that. Do you want some nice songs that make you feel good? You'll be beaming. But for the most part, we're talking about the same songs! I have a tendency to be wooed by surf music that's showing me something different and boundary-pushing. This album is not that -- you can hand this to a stranger and say "this is what surf music sounds like" with no qualifiers. The funny thing is, I think I initially became interested in surf music because I was listening to pretentious post-punk, avant-garde stuff, surrounded by others that were too, and it became too much. I was drawn to the simplicity of rock&roll, and surf felt like the apex of this -- instruments directly to feeling. Prime example, right here.
*joint release with Colorado Instrumental Fanzine, but that doesn't fit the PNW narrative.
