Kevin Pariso, who originally hails from Chicago and Joel Witenberg, who hails from Melbourne, Australia, met here in NYC, and after a jam session, the duo of Pariso and Witenberg decided that they should collaborate together with the result being their collaborative project, Surf Rock Is Dead — and their first batch of singles “Equinox,” “Late Risers” and “Zen A” received attention across the blogosphere. Those three songs will also appear on the duo’s forthcoming debut EP, which is slated for a September 18 release.
“Anymore,” the official first single off the EP consists of shimmering guitar chords, a steady yet propulsive rhythm and plaintive vocals which gives the song a familiar, dreamy new wave sound; in fact, in some small way, the song indirectly channels The Clash‘s “Lost in the Supermarket” but with a breezier, summery feel, as though the song evokes an afternoon daydreaming on the beach.
That exploration led to a few highly praised songs released online, all included in the EP: “Equinox,” a soaring wall of guitar, “Late Risers,” a dreamy haze ribboned by its Cure-inspired bass, and “Zen A,” a song as swelled out as the waves that open the track
