Los Tiki Phantoms are back with another album of lighthearted, carefree, pop-garage surf instrumentals. Though there are a few more effects, brass instruments, and spaghetti western sounds, it still has that bright and sunny Los Tiki Phantoms feel. They don't change the formula much, but I think of them as dependable rather than sounding stale.

This is the second EP from Los Misterios, both of them with some pretty striking album art. By their own description, "4 gunshots that, if heard by Trump, he'd use them to invade some new planet." Their sound is generally pretty trad other than some very prominent (and welcome) organ. I think that element gets especially interesting on "Sexy Safari" but all of these are pretty fun.

Up for download or CD purchase on bandcamp.

When Ninchi Surf System say "Drysurf" I think they mean desert dry. This release is predominantly spaghetti-western toned, though not in a directly Morricone-imitating way. They have a modern surf tone that isn't too riff-heavy, almost jammy or progressive at times, but also with a lonely WIld West mood -- while still keeping an upbeat pace. It's much more refined than their previous demo recording and even redoes their song "Western Hole". Both recordings are up on bandcamp: Demo Drysurf is pay-what-you-want, Demo Drysurf 2 is at 7 euro - and it should be!

The Kanaloas are the latest group to be brought into the Double Crown gang. Though they've been around for a good while, they stuck to 7"s up until this point and might have passed you by (admittedly, this was the case for me). Now they have an 11-song LP under their belt with a simple but pretty choice of album art that broadcasts one thing loud and clear: "Trad". The Kanaloas perform in suits, and serve up 60's styled originals and a few obscure covers. I haven't gotten a copy of this yet, but they have a proven track record and the Double Crown seal of quality. Hard to argue!

13th Magic Skull's last record "Sungazing in Rapa Nui" was a huge surprise hit last year. I gave it an honorable mention for a Gremmy and definitely gave it a lot of thought for the big prize. They've just got so much punch that I'm always surprised when I give it another listen and hear a pretty pure surf sound.

The only surf band I can think of with America in its name is from Madrid, Spain. Sure, why not?

Surfing Way is a light-hearted walk through many different familiar sounds in the surf world: straight up surf, drag racing, spaghetti western, fuzz, etc. It's easy-going and sounds nice and vibrant.

For us English speakers, I believe the band name translates to Thieves of Guitars. This is their debut album, and self-recorded, and the result is a pretty easy-going modern-trad surf record with some glimpses of spaghetti western. Give it a listen!

I still wasn't done enjoying Oskar Benas' solo release from this year Hereje Del Mar (which apparently I never made a post about) but we've already got this release from his full combo. While surf typically puts you on the seashore, Oskar's music points me towards the jungle as its getting dark.

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.

With a name I don't look forward to ever pronouncing, Los Antideslizantes have released a nice four-song EP here. While not straying too far from the well-known surf sounds, they manage to capture a mood until themselves. It's easy-going but not boring, and the use of the trumpet (in very appropriate amounts) is refreshing.