''Magic Hour'' is the fourth studio album and major-label debut by American band

Surf Curse Surf Curse is an American indie surf rock band formed in 2013 in Reno, Nevada, and now based out of Los Angeles. Created by Nick Rattigan (lead vocals and drums) and Jacob Rubeck (guitars), the band now also includes Henry Dillon and Noah Kholl ...

and their first album with

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...

. Produced by Chris Coady, it was released on October 7, 2022. The album received generally favorable reviews.

Background and production

Formerly based in Las Vegas and Reno, Nevada,

was formed by

Nick Rattigan Nicholas Foster Rattigan (born August 6, 1992) is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, journalist and music video director, originating from Reno, Nevada. He currently releases music under the moniker Current Joys. He ...

and Jacob Rubeck in 2013. The two relocated to Los Angeles, gaining commercial success after their 2013 single "

Freaks Freak has several meanings: a person who is physically deformed or suffers from an extraordinary disease and condition, a genetic mutation in a plant or animal, etc. Freak, freaks or The Freak may also refer to: Fictional characters * Freak (Ima ...

" became popular on TikTok in 2020. After signing with

, the band added Noah Kohll and Henry Dillon to their line-up. ''Magic Hour'' is both the band's debut album with Atlantic Records and the two new band members. ''Magic Hour'', Surf Curse's fourth studio album, was

produced Producer or producers may refer to: Occupations *Producer (agriculture), a farm operator *A stakeholder of economic production *Film producer, supervises the making of films **Executive producer, contributes to a film's budget and usually does not ...

by Chris Coady and recorded at Electric Lady Studios in New York City. Commenting on the band's genre shifts–and despite the band's name implying that they play

surf-rock Surf music (or surf rock, surf pop, or surf guitar) is a Music genre, genre of rock music associated with surf culture, particularly as found in Southern California. It was especially popular from 1958 to 1964 in two major forms. The first is in ...

–Rattigan said that type of music was "not really what we do anymore." The album was intended as a demonstration of the band's departure from their earlier "lo-fi, post-punk sound".

Release

The album's release was scheduled for September 16, 2023; it was released October 7. The lead single "Sugar" had been released in March that year, followed by "TVI" in July, "Lost Honor" in August, and "Self Portrait" in September.

Critical reception

Oliver Heffron of ''The Nuance Magazine'' said Surf Curse "hit their stride" with the album, describing the stylistic shifts as "an exciting development". Vidal N. Granados of ''Quip'', reflecting on a Surf Curse's concert performance after the album's release, commented that ''Magic Hour''s tracks had a "much slower" pace than the band's earlier works and had new dynamics introduced by Kholl and Dillon. Landry Wood of '' The Rice Thresher'' commented that the album's opener, "Arrow", could "dupe" listeners into expecting more music like that off Surf Curse's 2017 '' Nothing Yet''. Instead, Wood said the album was "an evolution that doesn't go quite far enough to be a reinvention" and praised "Fear City" as "refreshing sound with creative lyrics, a rarity for Rattigan."

Track listing

Personnel

Surf Curse * Nick Rattigan – drums (all tracks), lead vocals (tracks 1, 3, 5-8, 11, 12) * Jakob Rubeck – guitar (all tracks), lead vocals (tracks 2, 4, 9, 10) * Noah Koll – guitar (all tracks) * Henry Dillon – bass (all tracks) Other musicians * Gillian Rivers – viola (tracks 7, 8, 12), violin (tracks 7, 8, 12) * Kenny Wang – viola (tracks 7, 8, 12) * Taylor Zaro – cello (tracks 7, 8, 12) * Stuart Bogie – horns (track 11) * Maddeleine Boyd – guest vocals (track 11) * Cole Haden – guest vocals (track 11)Liner notes of ''Magic Hour'' release

References

{{Surf Curse 2022 albums Surf Curse albums Albums produced by Chris Coady Albums recorded at Electric Lady Studios Atlantic Records albums