Surfer Blood are today pleased to stream new album 1000 Palms, their first with beloved UK indie-rock imprint Fierce Panda records, via NPR.
You can stream the album here: http://www.npr.org/2015/04/29/403076251/first-listen-surfer-blood-1000-palms
The story of 1000 Palms began on January 1st 2014, after playing a New Year’s show in Portland, OR, the band decided to stick around for the rest of the month, renting a practice space and sorting through a backlog of ideas. By February, as their lease ran out, Surfer Blood had recorded demos for most of the tracks that now feature on their third LP.
After a frustrating time at previous home Warner Brothers, the quartet were beyond ready to return to a more DIY recording process, completely void of the middlemen scrutinizing every bar of previous LP Pythons. With the band self-recording it was in the glamourous setting of an attic studio above a doctor’s office where drums were committed to tape. Of the work, frontman John Paul Pitts states “fortunately none of us are strangers to DIY recording, so this seemed like the kind of challenge well-suited to our band”.
The making of 1000 Palms also owes a lot to the kindness of friends and family, with the remaining instrument sessions taking place at the home of drummer Tyler Schwarz’s parents while they were on vacation. Following a few days of very little sleep and after the band pooled resources and called in favours, the band had managed to craft everything you now hear on the upcoming record.
*Speaking of “kindness of friends”, the benefit campaign for medical expenses for Surfer Blood guitarist Thomas Fekete’s cancer treatment reached its $76,000 goal.
Surfer Blood leader John Paul Pitts wishes to send thanks – “The fund-raising is really making Thomas’ spirits soar! What he’s going through right now is really scary, and he’s extremely grateful and inspired by the outpouring of love and generosity. Thanks everyone!”