Surf City

Surf City emerged among New Zealand’s most talked-about acts during the first years of the 2000s, blending bright 1960s pop hooks with the lo-fi indie approach of the Clean and Tall Dwarfs, shimmering surf-style guitar lines, and the abrasive textures of the Pixies, Pavement, and the Jesus and Mary Chain. The last of those groups even supplied the eventual name: after meeting in a video-store aisle, guitarists Josh Kennedy and Davin Stoddard first called their project the Fibs, then switched to Kill Surf City in tribute to a Jesus and Mary Chain B-side. Seeking an alternative to the monolithic, atonal sound then prevalent on the local scene, Kennedy and Stoddard formed the band in 2004, adding drummer Logan Collins and bassist Jamie Kennedy, Josh’s brother.

Working on a four-track recorder Stoddard had just acquired, the quartet cut demos between New Zealand tours. After supporting Dinosaur Jr. on several Australian reunion shows in 2006, they assembled a six-track EP from the strongest home recordings. Arch Hill Recordings finally issued the disc in 2008 once talks with Flying Nun collapsed. Because another British act already used the name Kill Surf City, the release appeared simply as Surf City; out of respect for their stated influence Pavement, the band also commissioned artist Steve Keene for the artwork.

That same year the group began its debut full-length. Fire Records put out Kudos in November 2010. Once touring ended, the lineup fractured: Josh Kennedy departed, and Davin Stoddard relocated first to New York, then back to New Zealand, and later to South Korea. The scattered circumstances shaped the follow-up, 2013’s We Knew It Was Not Going to Be Like This, which carried a less spontaneous, “live-in-the-studio” character. By the time Jekyll Island arrived in early 2015, Jamie Kennedy had switched to guitar alongside Stoddard, while Mike Ellis and Andy Frost formed the new rhythm section.