The Californian, a band who as the name suggests hail from the U.S. west coast, first came to life in 2007 when lead singer John Graney released a collection of rough demos he’d been working on via the internet. The early years of the young band saw a galore of line-up changes with members of Phantom Planet, Warpaint, The Bird and the Bee, and The Henry Clay People, all coming and going. However, with four years under their belts, the Californian’s lineup has solidified with guitarists Jonathan Price and Darren Robinson, drummer Michael Hopkins, and bassist Jake Gideon. This ultimately led to a four track EP entitled Sea of Love in 2010, and last month saw the release of their debut self titled, full-length record. The result is a collection of songs which The Californian describe as ‘surf rock’, a term that for many will conjure thoughts of bands such as The Beach Boys and The Surfaris, but which is imbued here with an urgency far greater than the breezy, care-free vibes of its 1960s forerunners.
With vocals and guitars seeped in reverb and gritted with sand, the new 12-song collection of dreamy surf rock provides the perfect soundtrack to a modern day sock hop. Recorded at Dave’s Room in North Hollywood, the album was produced by Jeff Halbert (Nick Cave, St. Vincent, Rickie Lee Jones) and mastered by JJ Golden (Sonic Youth, Puro Instincto, Superchunk).