Surf Curse
{{Short description|American surf rock band}}
{{Use American English|date=December 2022}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2022}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Surf Curse
| image = File:Surf Curse in an interview.jpg
| caption = Surf Curse in December 2022
| image_size =
| landscape = yes
| alt =
| alias =
| origin = Reno, Nevada, U.S.
| genre = {{hlist|Indie surf|surf punk|indie rock|post-punk|garage rock|}}
| years_active = {{start date|2012}}–present
| label = {{hlist|Danger Collective|Big Joy|Atlantic}}
| website = {{URL|https://surfcurse.com}}
| current_members = Jacob Rubeck
Nick Rattigan
Noah Kohll
Henry Dillon
}}
Surf Curse is an American indie surf rock band formed in 2012 in Reno, Nevada, and now based in Los Angeles.{{cite web|url=https://allindependentreno.com/2016/09/15/surf-curse/|title=Episode 11: Surf Curse | All Independent Reno Podcast|website=allindependentreno.com|date=September 15, 2016|accessdate=August 13, 2017}}{{cite news|url=https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/581187/pierre-kwenders-batman-returns-and-more-best-bets-for-dec-8-14/|title=Pierre Kwenders, Batman Returns, and More Best Bets for Dec. 8–14|work=Washington City Paper|date=December 8, 2022|access-date=December 16, 2022|first1=Sarah|last1=Smith|first2=Steve|last2=Kiviat|first3=Pat|last3=Padua|first4=Colleen|last4=Kennedy|first5=Simone|last5=Goldstone|location=Washington, D.C.}} The band was formed by Nick Rattigan (lead vocals and drums) and Jacob Rubeck (guitars), and now also includes Henry Dillon and Noah Kholl. The band achieved mainstream success after their song "Freaks", written in 2011 and released in 2013, became popular on the short-form video platform TikTok in 2020.{{cite news|url=https://www.inlander.com/spokane/surf-curse-unexpectedly-blew-up-on-tiktok-but-the-bands-sonic-evolution-suggests-its-no-flash-in-the-pan/Content?oid=24895723|work=Inlander|title=Surf Curse unexpectedly blew up on TikTok, but the band's sonic evolution suggests it's no flash in the pan|date=November 10, 2022|access-date=December 1, 2022|last=Sommerfield|first=Seth|location=Spokane, WA}}{{cite web|url=https://americansongwriter.com/surf-curse-continue-connecting-to-freaks-10-years-later/|title=Surf Curse Continue Connecting to "Freaks" 10 Years Later|work=American Songwriter|last=Benitev-Eves|first=Tina|date=2021|access-date=December 1, 2022}}
History
File:Nick Rattigan for Surf Curse, 2022.jpg
Surf Curse was formed in 2012 by Nick Rattigan and Jacob Rubeck in Reno, Nevada, under several other names including "Buffalo 66" in reference to the film of the same name.{{cite web|url=https://sacksco.com/pr/surf_curse.html|title=Surf Curse|publisher=Sacks and Co.|date=2022|access-date=22 December 2022|archive-date=December 22, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221222221055/https://sacksco.com/pr/surf_curse.html|url-status=dead}} The band soon moved to Los Angeles, where they played at The Smell, a club that welcomed bands with similar sounds to that of Surf Curse's punk-surf rock. There, they became a part of the local all-ages punk scene. Rattigan continued working on his solo project, performing as Current Joys.{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2021-07-19/surf-curse-freaks-tik-tok|title=These indie-rock lifers went from obscurity to scandal to a major-label deal in 10 months|last=Brown|first=August|date=July 19, 2021|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=December 1, 2022}} Also in 2013, the band independently released the EP Sad Boys and their debut album Buds.{{cite web|url=https://mancunion.com/2019/10/02/album-review-heaven-surrounds-you-by-surf-curse/|title=Album Review: Heaven Surrounds You by Surf Curse|work=The Mancunion|date=October 2, 2019|last=Dynes|first=Sam|access-date=December 1, 2022}} The latter featured the song "Freaks", written in 2011 when Rattigan and Rubeck were both aged 18.
The band established a growing Los Angeles fanbase, allowing them to play at the October 2016 Beach Goth Festival before an audience that included non-local attendees. Their second album, Nothing Yet, was released in January 2017 through Danger Collective. Rattigan and Rubeck described Nothing Yet as reflecting their lifelong influence by movies, saying that the song "The Strange and the Kind" could fit on the soundtrack of a modern Dazed and Confused.{{cite web|url=http://atwoodmagazine.com/strange-kind-surf-curse/|title=Surf Curse Run Through Life Dazed and Confused on "The Strange and the Kind"|website=Atwood Magazine|date=February 7, 2017|access-date=August 13, 2017|last=Chabrow|first=Shayna}} The band remained somewhat successful, albeit underground, through the 2019 release of their third album, Heaven Surrounds You. This third album was praised for Rattigan's vocals and its lead track "Disco", with its fast pace compared favorably to Vampire Weekend's debut, but criticized for reliance on clichés within its lyrics. The lyrics of the album's final song "Jamie" and its repeated line of "I love the people in my life, all my friends keep me alive" have been identified as particularly moving.
With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing lockdowns in 2020, Surf Curse were unable to continue performing live. However, in 2020, the song "Freaks" began drawing attention on the short-form video platform TikTok. The song's angsty lyrics, particularly "I am just a freak", made it compatible with TikTok meme formats that played it in the background. "Freaks" has been described as a "soundtrack [for] whatever you're cringing about", though its second life on TikTok has been distinguished from other songs that saw a resurgence on the app. Generally, songs that received renewed interest through TikTok had been recently featured in movies of television shows, unlike the relative obscurity that "Freaks" had enjoyed. Rattigan said he would have also been happy with the song gaining traction had it been featured on the soundtrack to the then-upcoming film Avatar: The Way of Water; Rubeck joked that the unusual variety of videos featuring the song—including gardening tutorials and thirst traps—meant they "had to just stop watching them". The two said that they neither understood nor used TikTok.
The popularity of "Freaks" came almost simultaneously with accusations that Rattigan and Rubeck engaged in sexual misconduct with fans. Danger Collective severed ties with Surf Curse at the time of the allegations. An anonymous allegation against Rubeck was retracted and two against Rattigan were similarly deleted; both band members denied the allegations. In August 2020, Rubeck stated: "There hasn't been a moment in my life that even comes close to what was described in that post." The allegations were made around the same time that Burger Records, which had organized the 2016 Goth Beach Festival, folded during a wave of similar allegations in the Southern California punk scene.
After being rereleased as a single in May 2021 following the band signing with Atlantic Records, "Freaks" reached number 64 on the UK Singles Chart and number 17 on Billboard{{'s}} Hot Rock & Alternative Songs, eight years after it first appeared on Buds.{{cite web|url=https://www.musicweek.com/analysis/read/charts-analysis-body-s-sales-up-for-tion-wayne-russ-millions/083272|title=Charts analysis: Body's sales up for Tion Wayne & Russ Millions|work=Music Week|last=Masterton|first=James|date=May 14, 2021|access-date=May 16, 2021|url-access=subscription}} The song is RIAA certified Platinum and, {{as of|2024|4|lc=y}}, has more than 1 billion streams.{{cite web|url=https://outnowmagazine.com/surf-curse-magic-hour-album/|title=Surf Curse Take Us Into Epic Adventure With New Album 'Magic Hour'|date=October 10, 2022|access-date=December 2, 2022}} Billboard recognized Surf Curse as the second-ranked artists of 2021 in their category New Rock Artists.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2021/top-new-rock-artists/|title=Year-End Charts: Top New Rock & Alternative Artists: 2021|magazine=Billboard|date=2021|access-date=December 16, 2022}}
File:Surf Curse at Union Transfer, November 2022.jpg
Following their signing to Atlantic Records, Surf Curse added bassist Henry Dillon and guitarist Noah Kholl to their lineup. Dillon and Kholl had toured with the band before the pandemic; Rattigan said of adding them: "I think the sort of the connection that me and Jacob felt with each other when we started the band, we also felt with Noah and Henry." As a now four-member band, Surf Curse released Magic Hour in 2022. As with their other album covers that featured the band members, all four are featured on the cover art of the album.{{cite news|url=https://www.ricethresher.org/article/2022/10/review-surf-curse-abrasively-experiments-with-smoothness-on-magic-hour|title=Review: Surf Curse abrasively experiments with smoothness on 'Magic Hour'|work=The Rice Thresher|location=Houston, Texas|date=October 18, 2022|last=Wood|first=Landry|access-date=December 1, 2022}} The album's release had been preceded by the band performing at Coachella in Wizard of Oz–themed attire and the launch of the album's lead single "Sugar". The band began their North America tour for Magic Hour with a concert in Las Vegas on October 30, 2022, where each band member was dressed as a different iteration of Elvis Presley.{{cite news|url=https://lasvegasweekly.com/ae/music/2022/nov/02/surf-curses-vegas-show-was-all-about-belonging-cos/|title=Surf Curse's Vegas Show Was All About Belonging, Costumes and Elvis|work=Las Vegas Weekly|first=Evelyn|last=Mateos|date=November 2, 2022|access-date=December 1, 2022}} Magic Hour was received positively by critics, who identified its lyrics as more creative and a positive evolution of the band's sound and talent.
Similar to "Freaks" virality on TikTok, a new TikTok trend emerged using the band's 2019 single "Disco" in 2024 where two people would dance to the song leaning back and forth to each other along the beat. This trend led the song to number one on the TikTok Billboard Top 50 and its debut at 91 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts in September 2024.{{Cite magazine |last=Rutherford |first=Kevin |date=2024-09-19 |title=Surf Curse's 'Disco' Rises to No. 1 on TikTok Billboard Top 50 |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/surf-curse-disco-number-1-tiktok-billboard-top-50-1235778624/ |access-date=2024-09-20 |magazine=Billboard |language=en-US}}
Musical style
Surf Curse's music has been described as surf rock,{{cite web |last1=Thompson |first1=Stephen |title=The Austin 100: Current Joys |url=https://www.npr.org/2018/03/01/588748343/the-austin-100-current-joys |website=NPR |access-date=June 10, 2021 |language=en |date=March 1, 2018}} lo-fi,{{cite web |last1=Martin |first1=Brittany |title=MOCA's newest free summer concert series includes Zola Jesus, Tacocat, Peaking Lights and more |url=https://www.timeout.com/los-angeles/blog/mocas-newest-free-summer-concert-series-includes-zola-jesus-tacocat-peaking-lights-and-more-052217 |website=Time Out Los Angeles |access-date=June 10, 2021 |language=en |date=May 22, 2017}} garage pop,{{cite web |last1=Ham |first1=Robert |title=10 Nevada Bands You Should Listen To Now |url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/10-nevada-bands-you-should-listen-to-now/#surf-curse |website=Paste |access-date=June 10, 2021 |language=en |date=July 23, 2014}} surf punk,{{cite web |last1=Ventura |first1=Leslie |title=Local Music News: Sabriel Drops an EP, Moonboots Calls It Quits and More |url=https://lasvegasweekly.com/ae/music/2016/aug/24/local-music-news-notes-sabriel-drops-an-ep-moonboo/ |website=Las Vegas Weekly |access-date=June 10, 2021 |language=en |date=August 24, 2016}} post-punk,{{cite web |last1=Jones |first1=Abby |title=Surf Curse: Heaven Surrounds You |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/surf-curse-heaven-surrounds-you/ |website=Pitchfork |access-date=June 10, 2021 |language=en |date=September 23, 2019}} surf pop,{{cite web |last1=Kohn |first1=Stephanie |last2=Milan |first2=Cameron |title=Vibe: Tired of the Top 40? Give these bands a listen |url=https://www.guampdn.com/story/life/2017/01/28/vibe-tired-top-40-give-these-bands-listen/97176644/ |website=Pacific Daily News |access-date=June 10, 2021 |language=en |date=January 29, 2017}} indie rock,{{cite web |last1=Ainsley |first1=Helen |title=Coldplay's Higher Power rockets to Trending Chart top spot |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/coldplays-higher-power-rockets-to-number-1-on-the-official-trending-chart__33104/ |website=Official Charts Company |access-date=June 10, 2021 |language=en |date=May 11, 2021}} indie pop,{{cite news |last1=Quinlan |first1=Keely |title=Surf Curse – "Disco" Video |url=https://www.stereogum.com/2047462/surf-curse-disco/music/ |website=Stereogum |access-date=June 10, 2021 |language=en |date=June 12, 2019}} and jangle pop. The band's live performances have been characterized as "bedlam" and "bonkers", with Rattigan saying that a particularly energetic set at Pappy & Harriet's resulted in the venue banning the band.{{cite web|url=https://cvindependent.com/2022/04/viral-upward-spiral-surf-curse-arrives-at-coachella-with-tiktok-fame-and-an-intense-live-show/|title=Viral Upward Spiral: Surf Curse Arrives at Coachella With TikTok Fame and an Intense Live Show|last=King|first=Matt|date=April 5, 2022|work=Coachella Valley Independent|access-date=December 1, 2022}}{{cite news|url=https://coogradio.com/2022/11/toner-and-surf-curse-bring-the-heat-to-warehouse-live/|title=Toner and Surf Curse Bring the Heat to Warehouse Live|last=Seaman|first=Britt|work=Coog Radio|location=University of Houston|date=November 14, 2022|access-date=December 4, 2022}} Jaan Uhelszki, co-founder of Creem magazine, approvingly described Surf Curse as having a "party-tastic kind of music".{{cite web|url=https://www.altaonline.com/dispatches/a43394418/creem-queen/|title=Creem Queen: Jaan Uhelszki's hard rock life.|work=Alta|first=Kathleen|last=Ok-Soon Richards|date=23 March 2023|access-date=4 April 2023}}
Members
- Jacob Rubeck – guitars, occasional lead vocals (2012-present)
- Nick Rattigan – lead vocals, drums, percussion (2012-present)
- Noah Kohll – guitars (2020-present)
- Henry Dillon – bass (2020-present)
Discography
= Studio albums =
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|+ List of studio albums with details ! scope="col" | Title ! scope="col" | Details |
| scope="row" | Buds
| |
|---|
| scope="row" | Nothing Yet
|
|
| scope="row" | Heaven Surrounds You
|
|
| scope="row" | Magic Hour
|
|
= EPs =
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|+ List of extended plays with details ! scope="col" style="width:10em;"| Title ! scope="col" style="width:18em;"| Details |
| scope="row"| Sad Boys
|
|
|---|
| scope="row"| Surf Curse on Audiotree Live
|
|
| scope="row"| Freaks (Remixes)
|
|
= Singles =
Notes
{{notelist-ua}}