The Green Reflectors are a mean and lean twosome out of Nova Scotia. Earlier this year they released another self-titled LP, which definitely had some strong Flat Duo Jets vibes emanating from it: mean guitar and poundin' drums with a lot of teeth and energy. The main thing that has changed here is the recording: they moved out of the basement and into an actual recording studio. Surprisingly, it still sounds pretty live, which suits them well, and it's definitely a lot less thin.

I'm under the impression that The 427's EP Surf Noir got a bit of a attention in surf circles, and I don't doubt that they'll find an audience with their first full-length Mavericks. They've got a pretty trad sound with two guitars, bass, and drums, but the arrangements and riffs are all very catchy and memorable. On one listen, "Fake Betty", "Night of the Living Surf" and "Urchin Stomp" were standouts. On "Yellowbelly" and "The Blue Cactus" they stretch out a bit with added instrumentation for a spaghetti western sound.

After 8 years as a band without so much of an EP to their name, Luau or Die went ahead and made TWO EPs in 2015, almost entirely originals. It's fun, adventurous, and has a good helping of swagger to it. Give it a list, and while you're at it you can check out Vol. 1

Before we do anything here, I'd like to recognize The Special Edisons for calling an 8-song album an EP. I feel like 8 songs is becoming the norm for an album this year, and they're acknowledging that that's short!

The Special Edisons (not a typo) hail from Calgary, which is funny because the first thing that came to mind was Huevos Rancheros. No shared members, I checked, they're a 3-piece with a ragged, dry, and distorted guitar tone. It's rough and tumble ranch rock, and there's not a slow number in the bunch. Fun stuff!

Well, sometimes my all-seeing surf eye doesn't see things when they come out. And I think I'd be remiss to not mention them anywhere on the site, so we're playing catch-up here.

Based on their barely started facebook page, this record is a "Hello World" moment for the Lurids. For coming out of nowhere, it's surprisingly well put together. The Lurids have a bit of an ominous tone played over aggressive instrumentals with a good bit of punch to them. Give it a listen.

USF are often trying to think outside the box. Last year's Penguin Vs. Robot was an interesting release strategy (4 song vinyl EP with 4 extra songs included as a download). This idea isn't necessarily new, or even their own entirely, but one that I haven't seen others do. In homage to the Play Guitar WIth the Ventures albums, they've made an EP that has two songs: Livorno Twist (a tribute to Surfer Joe festival!) and Calafuria Nights. Then it has versions without the guitar, and includes tabs with the download.

Gee Whiz! The Mighty Swells have been dripping songs onto Soundcloud and Reverbnation for years, but finally went ahead and made a long-player. They've got a well polished very trad sound where the fun finds its way through. This LP is predominantly covers, but originals like "Lone Rhino" and "Mr Infiltrator" really hold their own amidst the time-tested classics. Apparently they've got another LP of originals on the way!

Luau or Die have been a part of the Toronto surf scene for a good while now (there's videos going back to 2009 on Youtube) but for us way far away from Toronto, we can dig this EP. "Dead on the Floor Vol. 1" is comprised of four originals and a cover of "Llorando Se Fue" (I had to look up the original) with quickly picked guitar and tight playing. It's a live album, but very clean and honestly better sounding than an awful lot of surf rock studio recordings.

A tsunami... of panties... the imagery....

Panty Tsunami has a good mix of quick dangerous songs and slower, dare I say sexier songs. Including a cover of Angelo Badalamenti's "Wild At Heart". There's even a sort of country influenced track "Red Sky".