Jekyll Island (LP)

New Zealand psychgazers Surf City return with an album of sticky summer jams and fuzzy swirls and out and out dream pop blasts. Harnessing the explorations of 2013's We Knew It Was Not Going To Be Like This into more focused packages, the group still delivers reverb-soaked joy at every turn. Adding in a return to their earlier efforts in crafting the perfect jittery motorik pop song, Jekyll Island finds the band at the height of their powers.

Centered around singer/guitarist Davin Stoddard's wry observations and sing song delivery, the record sees Jamie Kennedy increasingly pick up a guitar as well and add a welcome dimension of sunken melodies and lock step fuzz at all of the right moments. Mike Ellis and Andy Frost hold things together with a constant driving beat and rhythm that proves undeniable. Following a wander around the globe landing Stoddard in the U.S., Mexico, India and South Korea, the band finally find themselves reunited back home and ready to blast out their unique blend of Flying Nunesque hooky pop smarts, Yo La Tengo loopy psych travels, Neu! krautrock, and a never-ending infectious layer of sun-drenched fuzz. - Fire Records