Reviews for [RL43]
Sandy City "Surfin' WA"

• Half Gifts #4 (print edition)
  Sandy City's "Surfin' WA" is one of the more interesting pieces of vinyl I've come across this year. It's a single sided record with loveably simplistic screen print of the band on the spare end. The eight songs etched into the wax sound like a nod to the sound of Slumberland Records in the mid 90s. The crunchy jangle of Boyracer is present as well as unshakeable twee positivity. Nothing like shimmery guitars and subtly clever lyricism top bring a smile to your face. The track that's the most likely to stick with you is "Westport", drums flooding the mix, barely allowing a sputtering guitar a few scattered breaths of fresh air. Its verses are half sung, half shouted. "1 2 3 4" actually spans an epic four minutes, about twice as long as most of what I review in this zine, but a listen is well worth the time. It opens calmly, yet explodes into a piercing chorus, in which the entire band screams each number in the title track. This release (and pretty much everything else put out on Rok Lok Records) is highly recommended for all you lo fi purists out there.