Magic Hour (Surf Curse album) explained

Magic Hour
Type:studio
Artist:Surf Curse
Cover:Magic Hour (Surf Curse album).jpeg
Studio:Electric Lady Studios
Genre:Indie rock[1]
Length:44:54
Label:Atlantic
Producer:Chris Coady
Prev Title:Heaven Surrounds You
Prev Year:2019

Magic Hour is the fourth studio album and major-label debut by American band Surf Curse and their first album with Atlantic Records. Produced by Chris Coady, it was released on October 7, 2022. The album received generally favorable reviews.

Background and production

Formerly based in Las Vegas and Reno, Nevada, Surf Curse was formed by Nick Rattigan and Jacob Rubeck in 2013. The two relocated to Los Angeles, gaining commercial success after their 2013 single "Freaks" became popular on TikTok in 2020.[2] [3] After signing with Atlantic Records, the band added Noah Kohll and Henry Dillon to their line-up. Magic Hour is both the band's debut album with Atlantic Records and the two new band members.[4]

Magic Hour, Surf Curse's fourth studio album, was produced by Chris Coady and recorded at Electric Lady Studios in New York City. Commenting on the band's genre shifts–and despite the band's name implying that they play surf-rock–Rattigan said that type of music was "not really what we do anymore." The album was intended as a demonstration of the band's departure from their earlier "lo-fi, post-punk sound".

Release

The album's release was scheduled for September 16, 2023;[5] it was released October 7. The lead single "Sugar" had been released in March that year, followed by "TVI" in July, "Lost Honor" in August, and "Self Portrait" in September.[5] [6] [7]

Critical reception

Oliver Heffron of The Nuance Magazine said Surf Curse "hit their stride" with the album, describing the stylistic shifts as "an exciting development".[8] Vidal N. Granados of Quip, reflecting on a Surf Curse's concert performance after the album's release, commented that Magic Hours tracks had a "much slower" pace than the band's earlier works and had new dynamics introduced by Kholl and Dillon.[9] Landry Wood of The Rice Thresher commented that the album's opener, "Arrow", could "dupe" listeners into expecting more music like that off Surf Curse's 2017 Nothing Yet. Instead, Wood said the album was "an evolution that doesn't go quite far enough to be a reinvention" and praised "Fear City" as "refreshing sound with creative lyrics, a rarity for Rattigan."[10]

Personnel

Surf Curse

Other musicians

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Magic Hour. AllMusic. 26 June 2023.
  2. News: These indie-rock lifers went from obscurity to scandal to a major-label deal in 10 months. Brown. August. July 19, 2021. Los Angeles Times. April 6, 2023.
  3. Web site: Surf Curse Talks DIY Music Scenes, Friendship and TikTok Algorithms. February 3, 2023. Malaika. Astorga. April 6, 2023. Also Cool.
  4. Web site: New Noise: Surf Curse. September 14, 2022. April 6, 2023. Wonderland.
  5. Web site: Surf Curse Have a Hard Time Staying Out of Trouble in New "TVI" Video. FLOOD Magazine. Mike. Lesuer. July 14, 2022. April 6, 2023.
  6. Web site: Surf Curse's New Single "Lost Honor" Is About Overcoming Life's Hardships. Farrell. Margaret. August 10, 2022. 7 April 2023. FLOOD Magazine.
  7. Web site: Surf Curse tease new LP with indie single 'Self Portrait'. Glasse Factory. September 24, 2022. Nicole. Kirschner. April 7, 2023.
  8. Web site: Surf Curse hit their stride on major-label Magic Hour. The Nuance Magazine. October 7, 2022. April 6, 2023. Oliver. Heffron.
  9. Web site: Surf Curse delivers "Magic Hour" to sold out crowd. Vidal N.. Granados. December 9, 2022. Quip. April 7, 2023.
  10. News: Review: Surf Curse abrasively experiments with smoothness on 'Magic Hour'. The Rice Thresher. Houston, Texas. October 18, 2022. Wood. Landry. April 7, 2023.
  11. Liner notes of Magic Hour release