Though they've been dropping a few nice singles here and there, it's been 15 years since we've had an LP from the Space Agency, and they remain as special as ever. Somewhere underneath layers of fuzz and pedals is a pretty trad surf group with great dead-simple melodies that honestly could sound more 1962 than many groups if they felt like it. Give a listen to the least dressed song on this record "Alpaca Boogie" to catch a glimpse.

The Terrorsurf have a new LP of trashy surf tunes and even pressed it to vinyl. Bands with a lo-fi sound like theirs often seem like a weird fit for vinyl but it turns out this is a bit nicer of a sound than they had on their 2016 debut under this name. They’re not really lo-fi anymore (they claim to be Zombiphonic Hi-Fi) and they’re better for it: it’s still got a punk momentum and it’s still usually dealing in a low, scummy mood (but not always!). They’ve also added a second guitarist, expanding what they’re able to do in a big way.

After 6 years without a release, Y Niwl (pronounced Ur Nyool) have emerged with a new sound. For lack of better terminology, it's a bit more "indie' with guitar tones more in-line with modern music and with the keys (still prominently featured) expanding to different tones as well. I like it. They keep their whimsy from earlier works but have moved into something a little more expansive sounding.

Las Vegas Grind is a compilation series put out by Crypt records featuring bawdy instrumentals that were more about honkin sax than reverbed guitar. That series helped identify a different style of rock & roll instrumental that might have otherwise been shrugged off we came to get a little more obsessed with genres and focus on this idea of "surf music". If you need a reference point, Tequila would fit nicely into Las Vegas Grind, though I'd suggest just grabbing those compilations, they're really great.

I'm way late on this one, but if you're able to spook out in the pre-Christmas season then I'd suggest you head over this way. The handful of psychobilly vocal tracks suggest that influence over all the tracks, but there's a surprising amount of variety despite keeping a consistent tone. "Cramped" sits somewhere between an obvious Cramps nod and Link Wray, and "L'Hiver" and "The Buzzards Claw" have a similar slow crawl. "Surfing Sasquatch", "Berenice" are more familiar horror surf, while "Blue Drag" has a Flat Duo Jets sound and "Pants Party" gets downright jazzy.

This EP found its way into the word via a great viral video of a jarring way to wake up in the morning.

Surf is about riding surf boards, but some people like to ride horses. For this we have Horse Rock.

I could continue with horse-related jokes. Something about "galloping rhythms". Then I'd have to think really hard for more parallels. I'd suggest you check out their website instead, it's much funnier than whatever I would say.

The Terrorsaurs have a rare reptilian take on surf - though tracks such as Avalanche, Himalayan Surf, Moose Call and Apache Bear may suggest otherwise. Perhaps it's true that dinosaurs are warm blooded, which would excuse the cold-themed songs. Perhaps Terrorsaurs eat mooses and bears. I don't know.

Back to business. I believe the special guests are imaginary (I tried looking them up) and the whole thing is pretty fun and goofy, though with a creepy, dark vibe throughout as well.

Coffin Haze refer to themselves as blackabilly deathsurf. I like it. This one's kind muddy recording-wise, I'm guessing it was live, but it's indeed dark, fast and very well played. For now it's streaming and purchaseable on bandcamp, and there's a cassette version on the way. That's about everything I can find on these guys based on their facebook page.