After making their initial impact in 1996 with the single, ‘Popular’, this Los Angeles, California, USA-based alternative rock band then struggled to shake off accusations that they were a ‘novelty band’. The single - a teenage guide to winning popularity - was actually only partially representative of the band’s songwriting, and was seen by some as an answer record to Radiohead’s ‘Creep’. Its lyrics - ‘I’m a quarterback/I’m popular/I’ve got my own car/I’m a football star’ - were written by singer/guitarist Matthew Caws in tribute to his own high school alienation. Prior to forming Nada Surf with Daniel Lorca (bass) and Ira Elliot (drums), he had been a member of a number of unsuccessful independent groups. He had also worked as a journalist, taking a post as associate editor on the musicians’ magazine Guitar World. ‘Popular’ was followed by the release of an EP, Karmic, for No. 6 Records (run by Terry Tolkin as a subsidiary of Elektra Records) and their full album debut for the parent label, High/Low.
The critical reaction to 1998’s second album The Proximity Effect indicated that Nada Surf had long outstayed their welcome, although re-awakened interest led to it finally being issued in the USA in 2000. The band bounced back from a nightmare period spent in litigation with their record company with 2002’s excellent Let Go. Their cult status continued to grow with the release of The Weight Is A Gift in 2005. The album marked a new-found maturity with gentle harmonies and sweet indie pop melodies the order of the day.
