It's been a thrill watching the trajectory of The Surfrajettes. Surprise youtube viral hit, then touring surf conventions, a few 7"s on Hi-Tide, and then a really fun debut LP. That was when I last wrote about them, and I felt that all the statements they needed to make were made, nothing left to prove. But I'm used to writing about bands that live in the surf realm. The Surfrajettes are one of the few legit instrumental surf groups that have managed to move beyond that, going on tours supporting Electric Six and Reverend Horton Heat. They've gotten press outside of surf zines! But that also means stuff matters more, and so they've weathered lineup changes, the stress of actual touring, and these things contribute to something smaller bands don't care about: the threat of the sophomore slump.
But like, just look at that album cover. Now look back at Roller Fink. Roller Fink was a great looking record. Easy as Pie, even just looking at it, is a more mature effort. For a band that has never neglected their aesthetic, they have it dialed in on that album cover, and that reflects the album as a whole. Easy as Pie, even in name, exudes a confidence that I hadn't previously heard on this band's recordings, and while I won't repeat the mistake of thinking there's nowhere to go from here, it sure feels like they've arrived.
So let's not mistake confidence for a nasty attitude. They're not kicking the doors down with a nasty fuzz number -- in fact I'm happy to report that while the general tempo and energy level has jumped up, they haven't completely shed the dreamy aspect that was present throughout Roller Fink. In fact, the thick reverb and organ combo on the opening/title track gives me the same fairgrounds feel that strung their debut LP together. This time the theme is diner food, which doesn't quite cohese as strongly because food typically doesn't have many musical qualities, but that's fine because they use that extra latitude in their songwriting.
Case in point is "Toasted Western", a track that perked my ears up when they played it live before this album was announced. It is, indeed, a Western song in Surfrajette style. That is to say, not overdoing it with Morricone drama, but with a galloping beat and some studio subtleties for funsies. It has a great balance of flashy guitarwork with a dead-simple, memorable, and fun refrain. *wap-shhh!*
While "Clam Chowder" is a fun display of Shermy and Nicole's dynamic, I want to jump ahead to "Spice Up Your Life". Like Roller Fink, there are a good chunk of covers on here, but most of them are pretty obscure (I thought there were two before I checked with Hi-Tide). Their lone pop song has them owning what people expect from them; they're going straight to the Girl Power source and covering Spice Girls. This feels like their callback to "Toxic" (I wrote this a day before they released a video that made this more obvious), and if you ask me this is "Rumble" vs "Jack the Ripper" -- the earlier song may be iconic but the follow-up feels light-years beyond it. It's a strange thing to compare since the 'Jettes didn't write either song, but I'd put each song's source material on roughly even footing. The whole band is on display here: bass is super prominent while guitars take on the "vocal" portions, percussion seems to be using a lot of extra instruments, and the guitars support each other in really fun ways, not to mention the way they've transformed the chorus into a fun guitar riff. It's the same song the Spice Girls had, but it really feels like they've pulled something out the overproduced pop song that you never noticed, meanwhile giving it a different energy but in no smaller amount.
One song that sticks out is "Chiffon Daydream", which has them delving into an exotica/Santo and Johnny direction. At this point they've played so many tiki events that it's only polite to throw that crowd a bone. It's a really interesting one -- I think it sounds great, but ultimately it's hard to find the melodic core to the song. That's generally not a problem at all on this record, and I'd be open to hearing another shot at this experiment on a later release.
From then on things are a bit less surprising but no less enjoyable. "Word Salad" has a degree of drama and urgency I don't expect from them. Their cover of "Hot Doggin'" is fairly true-to-the-source on lead guitar but the rhythm guitar fills out an extra dimension. "Lickity Split" is a really nice one with cool tempo changes allowing for especially dreamy moments (not to mention some really nice guitar work in general). And then it ends with an easy stroll on "Sugar Town", which shrinks back into something more casual -- a nice goodbye.
I'm going to reiterate that I mistakenly thought there were only two covers -- their original works slip in so seamlessly along their arrangements of time-tested material that, aside from a moment of Spice Girls, it's basically invisible. I don't want to suggest that The Surfrajettes weren't good before, but I really feel like there's been a level up in songwriting and technical chops (or at the very least, showcasing them). It sounds immaculate too, and had me checking to make sure that they weren't booking time at the same studio as their labelmate compatriots The Babalooneys, whose recent record sounded amazing. Same engineers as last time, but sounds better!
I've seen a lot of comments about how the mid-century dreamland of a living room in the background of "Toxic" isn't a set; Shermie just lives like that. The Surfrajettes have reached a level of popularity where it's reached beyond a hobby; they spend a lot of time living as The Surfrajettes. A lot of thought into what they are and how to represent it, they've spent a ton of time honing not just their craft but their ability to be a band, and I think all that pressure has created a diamond. I really tried to come up with a food analogy there, I'm sorry.
Easy as Pie is available on digital, CD and vinyl. And though I'm posting this on bandcamp Friday, these are The Surfrajettes, they reach wider than your average surf band, so I'll be picking mine up at my local record store.
