Sun Bus

Gremmy Awards 2025: Best Modern Surf Record

Best Modern Surf

Modern surf is always a large category because most of us by default are modern people doing modern things, creating modern works. So it's always going to be a big category. And its not really something you can define: it's not traditional surf, it's not too aggressive, but it's still surf, and that amorphousness also means that there's a lot of things that you could call "modern surf". So what I'm getting at here is hoo boy, do I have a lot of things on here. And when I have this many things you might think "well did anything not make the cut? Absolutely, there were a lot of good and even great surf records not on this list, a few that felt like snubs, and the crazy thing is I wanted to cut more. But the thing is, I couldn't! I felt like nearly all of these in their own way had a claim for the top spot. And especially interesting, they all brough something unique to the table, not even an opportunity for one to "cancel another out".

And I guess that's a good problem to have. So here are TWELVE very interesting and excellently crafted surf records, and one that after a LOT of thought, I decided I liked the most. In no specific order except for the last one.

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Sun Bus - Tune In, Turn Up, Paddle Out EP

Sun Bus - Tune In, Turn Up, Paddle Out

The past month or two have been a rush of new surf music, many of them from long-standing names or on trusted labels. Sun Bus, hailing from Bethlehem, PA (outside Allentown), are decidedly neither of those things, but maybe this 6-song EP will change that. This isn't their first release, with a few 2-song releases dating back to December 2023, but this one is a statement. "8 Ball Shark" comes out shouting, with anthemic guitar lines pushed along by an energetic rhythm section. This isn't a simple riff, this is a song wants to tell the whole story!

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