Every now and then I come across an artist that seems to know something everyone else doesn’t. It’s like we’ve been doing it wrong all along. Fox Academy certainly knows what’s up with their latest LP Angel Hair and I’m not sure if they’re too keen in telling. Describing their sound is a daunting task, it’s frame of indie pop is sprinkled with beats of lo-fi hiphop. This is where conventions end however, as their use of samples range from natural sounds, kitchen cupboard utensils and even sports commentary. 

The band demonstrates an innate ability to romanticize mundane emotions with their full sound and vivid descriptions of ordinary life, adding in a cinematic grandeur to regular weekends under the sun, or rainy days cooped up in a sickbed. Vocal layers are stacked together to get that choral effect, it does sound muddy in some cases but at the same time it evokes a chill and melancholic mood — like individual droplets of rain falling on a window.

There’s a narrative of illness and recovery in this album that starts with “Apple”. It expresses regret over an episode of illness and the sorrow of having to stay in bed to recover, missing games of pickup basketball in the summer. “Lifestyle magazine” follows this gloom with a cinematic flair. Life goes on around him as he sits still while having Simpsons on the TV. The lo-fi airiness of the harmonies makes this feel like an out of body experience. In “Duffle”, he finally comes home home: “Tell myself I’m fine and I’m feeling better.” and finds a newfound appreciation for his family in the line: “Showered with love, I am at home.”

“Make me cry” despite its title, is the brightest track in the album. It depicts a lovely Sunday morning where our character proclaims “I’m finally feeling healthy”, He enjoys his time outside and “Everything makes me cry / I love it everytime”. Night descends in “Nascar”, and we sit down and appreciate the sunset. There’s vivid lyrical imagery everywhere: “Sharp turn / Dim light/ Strip mall/ Street fight” and with a lovely hook in “Sky looks like nascar / Easter pink colors / Racecars.”

The drapes fall down again at “Lobby”. Somber guitars backed by ghostly voices paint a grim picture as our character prepares to take their own life: “Big truck crashing, flash of light and I’m gone”, with an ominous sample of an emergency call played in the background. All is not lost however as he enjoys a new lease in life in “Property brothers” appreciating all the care he receives. “I was born again” he sings in a hopeful melody. In the closing track “Sick day” he declares, “I love everything now / this feels special”.

Fox Academy’s approach in telling this story is subtly conveyed in little snippets of detail and space is left open for listeners to fill in the blanks. Angel Hair is a mix of old and new, with it’s lo-fi production and modern techniques, but at its heart is a tale of newfound hope, and that’s what makes it real.

Surf Curse’s third and latest LP, Heaven Surrounds You is a collection of ever-changing moods and themes. The surf rock duo pulled ideas influenced by their move to LA and their love of cult movies, blending cinematic riffs with rhythms that pulse with forward momentum. This album is an epic story of discovery, as Nick Rattigan and Jacob Rubeck find themselves in a new environment, armed with a newly refined sound. They have progressed a step further from their previous lo-fi tendencies, to a more sophisticated and polished production. Like a coming-of-age film, their songwriting has matured in line with their life in a new scene.

“Maps to the Stars” heralds the start of the journey, with a restless kinetic rhythm and a repeating verse that comes and goes like the scenery viewed from a bus window. The line “Oh my heart is on fire / Burn whoever you are” signals an anticipation for the challenges yet to come. The carrier single “Disco” has the best hook of the album. Inspired by the Last Days of Disco, it has an irresistible lively pace and a music video that’s reminiscent of dance-offs in 90’s flicks.

The conflict of the album intensifies at this point. The mood shifts to unease with “River’s Edge”. It reflects struggles of self-identity at this new place, with the leftover residue of a past relationship. “Midnight Cowboy” mirrors their experience in a similar way. The folk-ish delivery of the vocals are accompanied by bright and modern sounds. The imagery depicts a bustling nightlife, representing the change in lifestyle that the cowboys must face in the city. “Hour of the Wolf” is the climax of this sequence, inspired by an Ingmar Bergman film of the same title. An eerie dissonance seeps through the instruments. The theme of the movie is transformed by the line “Beware of the bleeding moon / Cause I’m still missing you all day”, where instead of death, the witching hour is a daily moment spent missing someone.

“Opera” is another standout with its melancholic acoustic guitar, the song depicts a romantic tragedy of falling deeply in love with someone despite “the games we play with each other’s lives”. Every quiver of Rattigan’s voice reflects the agony of trying to keep up with a failed love.

It’s great to see Surfe Curse’s growth throughout their career. They have taken moods and emotions from personal experience and other forms of art and infused it in their music. A true mark of craftsmanship, resulting in a unique flavor of surf rock, where instead of sun-kissed beaches, the music is heavily surrounded by neon lights in a big city.