Norman: We are talking about the new Coldplay album, Moon Music, right?
Tyler: Wow. I double-checked the reality of that.
Norman: Or is it Nada Surf, with Moon Mirror? So much MOON these days!!!!
Tyler: I’m on team Surf.
Norman: As popular as they are, it’s difficult for me to imagine that Coldplay could release a better Moon album than Nada Surf. Team Nada Surf for me, too.
Tyler: Moon Mirror, that Nada Surf album, is the latest from a band that many would have consigned to the Buzz Bin thirty-odd years ago, off of their lurching hit “Popular.” The group kept right on going, though, drawing plenty of worthy attention with their third album, Let Go, an announcement of Nada Surf’s creative progression that opened the door for a steady and rewarding set of releases, leading through the ‘00s, ’10s, and ‘20s.
Moon Mirror comes as summer turns to autumn in a tumultuous year, 2024. The album’s lunar title portends perhaps a soothing reflection—a double one?—of light in the dark. Is that what we have here?
Norman: The album cover reminds me of when I lived in downtown Chicago on a 7th floor dorm. I imagine myself at 3:00 AM, looking out my open window with the city below and dim light coming from it. Looking at the cover and taking in the overall vibe of the album, I feel soothed.
Tyler: See, there it is. There’s a mellow air to quite a few songs here. Not all of them—“Second Skin” is an irresistible propulsive leadoff track, for one—but there’s a quieter touch throughout Moon Mirror. That album cover means business.
Norman: The driving, energetic titles really stick out on this album. “Second Skin” and “Intel and Dreams” feel almost – not quite – out of place!
I want to return to that observation later, but for now I’ll just say that grittier, noisier music is a direction I’d like to see Nada Surf explore more in the future.
Tyler: The air of it lends the lyrics of Matthew Caws—the songs are credited to the band, but I do believe Caws handles the words—an exceptional plaintiveness. I think the personal nature of those lyrics shines through throughout the band’s catalog, mind you. Here on Moon Mirror, the subtle differences in pace and that vibe really lean into musical introspection.
Norman: It’s somber, plaintive. The kind of sad music that makes you feel somehow good.
For me, the album’s best song, and the one that really gives me the feels, is “The One You Want.”
If you aren’t listening closely, you might think it’s a love song, but close attention to the lyrics you find that “The One You Want” is a catchy bit of self-recrimination. It’s mature and reflective in a way that so few well-crafted pop songs are.
Tyler: I think Nada Surf are an especially good band for that level of self-awareness. Caws is deft at looking himself in the mirror and putting down the good and the bad of what he sees.
Norman: Yes. And maybe that’s part of the shock of Nada Surf after “Popular.” Who would have predicted a band full of sage wisdom coming from that piece of distinctly 90s snark?
Tyler: For real. I first encountered Let Go during a brief flirtation with college radio deejaying. I played “Blizzard Of ’77,” enjoyed it, and thought “Wow, this is quite lovely. The ‘Popular’ guys?”
They rerecorded “Popular” a year or two ago. It’s on Spotify.
Norman: Pom Pom Squad did a cover of “Popular” recently. It was good, but too on the nose, especially given that band. Anyway…we digress.
Tyler: As for Moon Mirror, my pick for top song is that first one, “Second Skin.”
“Porcelain coat” is a terrific turn of phrase. Point, Surf.
Norman: I like “Second Skin” a lot. It’s a strong single. Was it the first song they released for the album? If so, good choice. Nice hook, strong song structure. It’s quintessential Nada Surf.
Tyler: Track two was the lead single, actually—“In Front Of Me Now.”
Norman: Ah. If I had been the record company guy, I would have put out “Second Skin” first, but “In Front of Me Now” is equally quintessential. I love the sense of verbal rhythm on that song.
Tyler: It’s a firecracking first pair of songs. Both of them, too, good-natured and positivity-oriented. Bettering the self.
Norman: The next two songs, however, set the real tone for this record. The tempo slow. The guitars are gentler. We are in a different groove that will take up most of the remaining songs.
Tyler: Do we like this groove? Well, that’s unfair. I think we’ve established a basic affection for this album. But, as you alluded, there’s momentum in other Nada Surf releases that has been pulled back here. Is that tempo missed?
Norman: Let me back up a little bit to make a more general observation about bands with long, steady careers.
My favorite example of this might be Spoon. They will release an album every 2-4 years. And every album you’re thinking, “Damn, this band is good!” And eventually, it becomes normative. Yawn, Spoon released another stellar record. It’s hard to fault a band that does this, but I think there’s a basic reason we start to yawn.
Some bands just do not mess with their sound at all. Once Spoon, or, in this case, Nada Surf, settles into a certain pattern, they make albums that sound distinctly and unmistakably like…themselves. There’s no risk involved, but that means that the payoff isn’t always as exciting.
In the end, you have to appreciate their consistency. And in this case, the stellar songwriting is on display as it always has been. But if I want this sound, why do I want Moon Mirror and not Let Go or Lucky?
Tyler: See, that’s wild, as I had also thought of Spoon in contextualizing Nada Surf. They’re both exactly as you very aptly describe them. Consistent like clockwork. Listening to Moon Mirror, I was pleased, but I couldn’t help wondering if this latest release—considering the raves I’d seen compiled online—brought something particularly different to the table. In the end, it slows the breathing down a little, it’s very good, and that’s about it.
I hate to damn the band with qualified praise, I really do. This group has a special place in my heart, and there will be a place for Moon Mirror in my rotation. It might be infrequent.
Norman: Moon Mirror could be a grower. It’s rare, but sometimes an album doesn’t quite click for me at first, but then years later I’ll put it on just to try again and be amazed at whatever it was I missed the first time around. Moon Mirror is solid. There aren’t any tracks I’d want to skip, but there are few that have jumped out at me. Maybe one day that’ll change?
Tyler: I considered the same. It might gain in estimation with a little time, and likely age.
Norman: If Moon Mirror is decent, but maybe lower tier for Nada Surf, what would you like to see them do next? I’ve already tipped my hand. I want more aggression and drive. They’ve flirted with that in the past, but I’d like to see them release an album with their feet pressed all the way down on the pedal.
Tyler: Yeah, I think they’ve tapped the mellow side as much as I’d like them to for now. Some raucous jams would be welcome.
I have no idea what that might sound like. But the idea intrigues me.
Norman: Well, Nada Surf, if you’re reading this, you have your marching orders!
Writers' Loom 