Biography
Before forming Matt Surfin' & Friends, Matt Seferian had played in New Orleans indie rock outfits such as Donovan Wolfington and Pope. On the project's 2019 debut album, Matt Surfin' & Friends, he enlisted a range of collaborators drawn from groups including Rayboys and Video Age to cast lo-fi, punk-pop, and soft-rock influences in a brighter, more relaxed light.
While studying at Loyola University, Seferian and singer/guitarist Neil Berthier started the punk-oriented indie rock band Donovan Wolfington in 2011. They first brought keyboardist Savannah Sexton into the lineup, then completed the original five-piece with bassist Christian Baraks and drummer Chris Littlejohn. The group issued its first release, the 2013 album Stop Breathing on Broken World Media/Community Records. Around the same time, Seferian joined co-frontman Alejandro Skalany and drummer Atticus Lopez to launch '90s alt-rock-inspired Pope, which self-released the EP Known Weed Smoker that year; the follow-up cassette EP Bug appeared on Ritual Tapes in 2014.
Donovan Wolfington later moved to Top Shelf Records and delivered the 2014 EP Scary Stories You Tell in the Dark. After Sexton and Baraks departed, the band tracked its second album, How to Treat the Ones You Love, with Chris Lanthier handling bass duties; the LP came out on Top Shelf in 2015. Following U.S. and European tours, the members announced plans to break up once they finished one last record. In the interim, Pope returned in 2017 with the full-length True Talent Champion. For Donovan Wolfington's concluding configuration, Berthier and Seferian were joined by Skalany on bass and Mike Saladis on drums; the quartet put out its third album, Waves, via Community Records in early 2018 and performed a farewell show at the label's tenth-anniversary event.
Seferian resurfaced in early 2019 with the first two Matt Surfin' & Friends tracks: "Get Down," featuring Rui Gabriel and I. Rui, and "Loser," which included Ratboys' Juila Steiner. A third preview, "Waiting on You," enlisted Ross Farbe and Ray Micarelli of Video Age. All three songs appeared on the full-length Matt Surfin' & Friends, issued jointly by Community and Muscle Beach later that year.
While studying at Loyola University, Seferian and singer/guitarist Neil Berthier started the punk-oriented indie rock band Donovan Wolfington in 2011. They first brought keyboardist Savannah Sexton into the lineup, then completed the original five-piece with bassist Christian Baraks and drummer Chris Littlejohn. The group issued its first release, the 2013 album Stop Breathing on Broken World Media/Community Records. Around the same time, Seferian joined co-frontman Alejandro Skalany and drummer Atticus Lopez to launch '90s alt-rock-inspired Pope, which self-released the EP Known Weed Smoker that year; the follow-up cassette EP Bug appeared on Ritual Tapes in 2014.
Donovan Wolfington later moved to Top Shelf Records and delivered the 2014 EP Scary Stories You Tell in the Dark. After Sexton and Baraks departed, the band tracked its second album, How to Treat the Ones You Love, with Chris Lanthier handling bass duties; the LP came out on Top Shelf in 2015. Following U.S. and European tours, the members announced plans to break up once they finished one last record. In the interim, Pope returned in 2017 with the full-length True Talent Champion. For Donovan Wolfington's concluding configuration, Berthier and Seferian were joined by Skalany on bass and Mike Saladis on drums; the quartet put out its third album, Waves, via Community Records in early 2018 and performed a farewell show at the label's tenth-anniversary event.
Seferian resurfaced in early 2019 with the first two Matt Surfin' & Friends tracks: "Get Down," featuring Rui Gabriel and I. Rui, and "Loser," which included Ratboys' Juila Steiner. A third preview, "Waiting on You," enlisted Ross Farbe and Ray Micarelli of Video Age. All three songs appeared on the full-length Matt Surfin' & Friends, issued jointly by Community and Muscle Beach later that year.
Albums
Singles
