Straight Arrows – Surface World
It may not be summer in Sydney right now, but Agitated have timed Straight Arrows’ fourth album just right for the northern hemisphere as Surface World is pure sunshine. Less hasty to bury their plentiful melodies under fuzz and reverb this time around, Surface World has lazy cookout vibes as it just bubbles along almost imperceptibly but pay it some real attention and it’s big ‘ole puppy-dog eyes just won’t let up.
Masters of two-to-three-minute garage/power-pop, never forget that this is a band that’s played/toured with Black Lips, Ty Segall, Royal Headache, and Thee Oh Sees and Surface World owes a debt to all of them. None are these bands are as consistently sunny as Straight Arrows though and Surface World – less messy than 2010’s It’s Happening, more chilled than 2014’s hedonistic Rising, and more reliable than 2018’s On Top – is consistency in album form.
Don’t assume consistency means “samey” though for Surface World pins rich dressing onto its fast-paced pogoing and choppy rhythms: fuzzy riffs, infectious hooks, catchy grooves, stomping drums, dreamy rock ‘n’ roll, winsome indie-pop, gently stoned psych. The serene “Summer Skies” accordingly gets hot and sweaty under the boardwalk to the sound of spluttering drums while fun, jangling guitars earlier belie the superficiality of mass manufacture on “Fast Product”.
There’s no pretence or attempts to be clever however; Surface World is just well-constructed party pop with snappy, abundant choruses that are usually captured by the song title, toasty distortion ensuring the result is not too shiny. When the wanting “Shop Window” offers up a mirror to the Surface World in its reflection it does so with a grubby pane, a telling detail that recognises the possibility of clouds on the horizon. Bask in the sunshine all you want, but be prepared for tomorrow.
Best track: “Summer Skies”
~Surface World is out 9th August 2024 via Agitated.~