Surfbort - Reality Star 

One would hope that to deem Surfbort an act who really need to be seen live would do nothing to diminish their recorded output. Captivating as largely a consequence of vocalist Dani Miller’s chaotic on-stage persona, there’s nothing from this third album from the New York outfit to suggest that’s likely to change. However, it’s in the less obvious moments – for an act renowned for their frenetic vintage-hued punk rock, at least – that ‘Reality Star’ twinkles brightest.

‘Jessica’s Changed’ is the runaway winner of these. There’s a wonderful juxtaposition of an imagined ‘then’ and now: the ‘90s slacker rock-via-2010s lo-fi resurgence sound that’s instead clear, crisp and almost epic in its sonic scale; the titular Jessica – a mainstay, at least from an across-the-pond perspective – of late-20th Century American teen drama; “I used to hang with Jessica / But now she’s changed / And I’m falling in love with the ghost of Kurt Cobain,” sings Dani with seemingly Gen X ennui, only before the chorus ends with a line that could really only apply to the here and now in both tone and intention: “I’m a sexy ass bitch in a world gone mad.”

The title track sits in a similar place, its reference to “quaaludes in the 1900s” sitting alongside a vocal delivery that can only be described as ‘sweet’, turning its hook of “Reality star stuck inside reality / Reality star everything you wanna be” into observational – and yet not mocking – satire. ‘Peaches and Cream’ too, talks of “banging our heads to Rock Lobster” while Dani’s vocal takes on a bored drawl. On their own, these points may seem curious to a less seasoned listener of the band, but ‘FUGOMF’ does a stellar job of marrying the two sides, as Dani’s repetitions of “It’s not worth it,” and “I feel nothing” both end by reaching a full-on scream. Closer ‘Jessica’s Changed’ is also worth a mention here, as it’s so complete a vibe shift musically, with Strokes-like guitars piercing a pure indie sleaze beat.

From a band who’ve nothing to prove – and likely wouldn’t want to feel they had to anyway – ‘Reality Star’ is both satisfying fuel to power their live self, and a sparkling showcase of a noisy outfit adept in sprinkling their on-record ferocity with wit and personality.