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SURF FRIENDS: Confusion

Produced and recorded by Mark Howden at the Depot Artspace in Devonport, ‘Confusion’ is the debut album from Auckland twosome Surf Friends, namely Brad Coley and Pete Westmoreland. Wearing their influences proudly, the duo have ripped a page straight out of the ‘Dunedin sound’ songwriting book. An artillery of jangly reverberated guitars, vocals reminiscent of The Clean’s David Kilgour, and an energetic drum machine that, at times, could be mistaken for a member of the woodpecker family. The unique drum programming at times steps into the limelight too much, leaving vocal melodies and guitar lines in a cloud of ‘pecker’ dust. Lyrically the album touches on a vast range of issues from the basic need to achieve a goal in Goals, to a futuristic look at life on earth in No Oil. The album notably signs off with a 10-minute title track that walks the lines of a sonic landscape, effortlessly switching between tempos throughout. ‘Confusion’ has a lot of promise, expect bigger and better things from this mysterious duo.

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