Artist to Watch: Surfer Blood

Surfer Blood are one of the most buzzed about bands right now, at least in part because they’ve won so many people over with their sunny, catchy sound in the past year–the only year they’ve even existed.

Formed in the spring of 2009, the South Florida band recorded an album and hit the road soon after, criss-crossing the country on their own and eventually touring with Art Brut and Japandroids.

Pitchfork–ye old influential website–called the Florida band’s debut Astro Coast “a great guitar album in the way Weezer’s Blue Album, Built to Spill’s Keep It Like a Secret, or, more recently, Japandroids’ Post-Nothing are.” NY Mag deemed their sound “’90s throwback.” That is, Surfer Blood have chops, but aren’t trying too terribly hard and coming off like fun-hating hipsters.

We caught up with the band for an interview during SXSW, where they packed in a ton of shows, including the NPR and Village Voice parties and the Kanine Records showcase. They just released their debut full-length, and who knows if they’ll even be around by next year’s SXSW. But in the meantime, everyone just seems to be enjoying their ride.