In the early 1960s, much of American Top 40 rock & roll was
dominated by a Southern California phenomenon known as the surf sound.
Made famous by the likes of Jan & Dean, The Rivieras, Dick Dale, and
of course the quintessential sun and surf band The Beach Boys, this
music style reigned supreme for a solid five-year run, until being all
but disseminated by an invading army of floppy-haired English rock bands
in 1964. But what if The Beatles had decided to turn right at Greenland
and never made it to our shores at all? What if the surf sound had
actually been given the opportunity to grow and mature beyond the
primitive recording techniques and relative innocence of Kennedy-era
USA? Obviously no one can say for sure, but I can imagine it sounding
something like the Providence-based band Atlantic Thrills.
Starting in 2010, Dan Tanner (guitar/vocals), Eric Aguiar
(bass/vocals), and newest member Josh Towers (drums) formed an outfit
that exemplifies everything that is right about unbridled, wild,
gin-soaked, frat party rock & roll! If you’re looking for a socially
conscious band whose goal is to end global warming while searching for
the lost chord, man are you on the wrong road! These guys are all about
fun – that is, the kind of fun that’s had fathers locking away their
teenage daughters for decades now.
Coming off the heels of a tour that saw stops in Brooklyn, LA, and
all points between, Atlantic Thrills have been promoting their
self-titled album across the country. The 12-song collection consists of
authentic garage rock with a punk attitude. Granted, these boys aren’t
shy about lifting a lick or two here and there, but I reckon that’s part
of their anything-goes attitude, which actually defines their sound.
Atlantic Thrills kick off with a dark rocker, “Problems.” On
this hard-driving track, Tanner uses that slightly Middle Eastern scale
used in surf rock songs by guys like Dick Dale (himself being of
Lebanese descent). The enigmatic lyrics portends the character ridding
himself of a past haunt, human or otherwise: “I killed all them demons,
let them drown in their blood – I squandered my time, I gave up more
than I should. If she ever found me, likely be done for good – I killed
all my problems, left ‘em deep in the ground.”
One of the standout tracks is the surf-rock opus “Day At The Beach,”
for which the band also produced a hilarious accompanying music video.
Addled with intertwining sand, sun and drug references galore, the song
and video are like a Frankie & Annette Beach Blanket movie gone
horribly wrong! “When I woke up in the city I was puffin’ on a mighty
bone – I picked up a couple of biddys with some towels and a bag full of
blow – I was high as a kite in the sand dunes…I wanna stay at the
beach.”
If some younger music fans unfairly associate the surf genre with
lighthearted beach romping through sea and sand alike, Atlantic Thrills
go a long way to dispelling that myth. There’s no reason surf rock can’t
be every bit as heavy and rebellious as modern alternative or
old-school punk, and these guys are proving it at every stop on their
hopefully never-ending tour!
