Ever since they released the video for Tunak Tunak Tun on Youtube over a year ago, I've been getting more and more excited for the release of The Tomorrowmen's new album. Looks like tomorrow became today hur hur. Their Double Crown Records debut "It's About Time" was the exactly the sort of forward-thinking brand of instro that keeps this genre alive. It's immediately apparently that that spirit was kept intact on Futourism, and that a tremendous amount of thought and love was poured into this.

We've got four songs from the sci-fi horror group the Hithcocks, absolutely drenched in reverb, complete with some echoey and ominous synthesizers and spooky ghastly voices. They choose darkness over speed, with most of these songs finding more of a zombie-shuffle pace. Dig the retro sci-fi video then give it a spin on bandcamp

Well here's something else for ya. Surfin' Krautlifornia is an odd mix of synthesizers, sound effects, psychedelic meanderings, and strange thoughts standing on a foundation of surf guitar bubbling underneath. With an airplane, a storm trooper, graffitti, and a cool-lookin' dude wearing shades on the cover, I'm not even going to try to piece together what they're after. Maybe it's just to get you to approach this thing with some curiosity.

Apparently they've got cassette and vinyl copies out there, but you can also listen to it the ol' bandcamp.

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.

This is the first I've heard of Appalachian Surf Team but they've been around since at least 2013 and seem to have honed their craft pretty well by now. A live album suits them well; this album is bristling with energy and it sounds like a ton of fun even with a bit more crowd chatter picked up than you normally hear on a live record. In fact, it's pretty great when you hear one of the women in the crowd talking loudly lose her marbles when they launch into their supercharged cover of "Eye of the Tiger".

The last EP from Los Blue Marinos was back in September of 2014 and it was pretty solid. This one's been out for about two months now and there's even more to be excited about. This is still a very trad surf sound but with an even better momentum than before. The musical thoughts behind these songs are really concise and focused, helping them really stick in your head.

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.

If you've listened to my show enough you've probably figured out that I've got a thing for Peruvian chicha music, and the similarities to surf rock should be apparent enough that that wouldn't be surprising. I find it amusing that while there's some great surf in Peru, the bands that seem most faithful to the sound appear to be everywhere else.

When you're always on the lookout for surf groups, it helps to have a good gut feeling for them based on the name of the band and album, maybe even the songs. That's true for both the new stuff and the vintage stuff. The Baltic Side would have failed that test: The band name doesn't sound surf, "Hope" isn't really something I associate with surf, neither are song titles like "Believe", "Pilgrim", and "Rainbow". Nothing wrong with those names, they just don't register as a blip on my surf radar.

Well let's be honest, the names of your songs aren't terribly important in surf music, so I can't really blame Surf Out! for their lazy naming schemes. This EP starts with a fiery one out the gate, then chills out for the rest. Some of them build to a frenzy, some of them continue to take it easy. It's a pay-what-you-want album, so give it a shot.