Surf Curse is a Nevada based band; starting in 2013 they’ve been consistently putting out alternative and surf rock music. The founding members were Nick Rattigan and Jacob Rubeck however Henry Dillon and Noah Koll have since been added to the band for instrumentals. Surf Curse is most known for their single, ‘Freaks’, which blew up on TikTok summer of 2021, but they have so much more to offer than just this banger alone. Just this year they released their new album, Magic Hour and they inevitably went on tour to take this awesome album around Europe and the U.S. There is no doubt they’ll be back in Utah in the future.

Magic Hour has an array of speeds of Indie and Alternative. Offering 12 songs in total, each song has such a different sound whether it’s due to instrumentals or singing style, so there’s a little bit of something for everyone to enjoy. Most of the songs are faster paced as this album explores more of the rock corners of alternative, but there are still options of slower and more graceful songs such as, ‘Cathy’, ‘Little Rock ‘n’ Roller’, and ‘No Tomorrows.’ The faster, groovier songs definitely can’t be forgotten either, such as ‘TVI’, ‘Randall Flagg’, and one of my personal favorites, ‘Sugar.’ Most, if not all of the songs, focus a lot on the bass, guitar, and drums with long instrumental breaks between each block of lyrics. This doesn’t discredit the lyrics or vocals in any way; however, with vocalists as unique as Nick Rattigan and Jacob Rubeck, there’s no way to lose them amongst the instruments. The lyrics have always been my favorite part of this band. With lyrics from, “Ripping away from your tomb; So pure it’s tragic; That we’ll never stay in tune.” in ‘Strange’ too, “I said my hair’s way too short to make a living… But my hairs never been a good measure of my happiness, so.” featured in ‘Fear City’. You have to listen to the songs to get the full effect of the lyrics rather than just reading them in a highschool’s newspaper article: trust me.

The concert was quite an experience to say the least. Surf Curse draws a crowd of teenagers with so much life in them and so much poetical love for not only the lyrics but the songs in their entirety. I went to the concert with a few friends at The Complex, and it was definitely not a night we’ll be forgetting soon. From getting thrown around in mosh pits to hearing the screaming of the vocalists and fans alike, the night will sit with us for many years to come. However, a crowd doesn’t make the whole concert experience. Surf Curse puts on a beyond stellar performance. Their passion for what they make and perform is obvious to anyone in the room, which is arguably the most important thing to putting on a great show. With each one of the band members performing with so much excitement in their veins, it’s hard to not feel the urge to shake one’s bones. All of their songs were arguably created to be heard in person. The studio recordings just don’t grant the artists justice. Don’t get me wrong, the studio recordings are something to just melt over, but nothing beats hearing the vocalists voice’s modify to each song in person.

I would give the album and the concert 5 shiny, golden stars out of 5 and will definitely be going to see them perform again. If you enjoy Surf Curse’s slower songs, you may also enjoy Nick Rattigan’s individual project, Current Joys, also created in 2013. Current Joys is my personal favorite band and it has an assortment of slower songs that have a similar tune to Surf Curse with lyrics to just dissolve in. Both bands have something for everyone and each one performs outstandingly in and out of the studio with a sound everyone should hear.