There’s something so oddly comforting about Nada Surf. Like that cool friend you have, the one you often stay up all night with talking, spinning records, and drinking whiskey, the records that the Surf has put out over their 20-year tenure are solid, engaging, and always have you coming back for more.
The band came to the 9:30 Club on Tuesday in support of their latest release, The Stars Are Indifferent To Astronomy, this time with two extra members in tow, guitarist Doug Gillard (Guided by Voices) and instrumentalist Martin Wenk (Calexico), which filled out the live sound quite nicely.
Lead singer/guitarist Matthew Caws has that effortless voice, one that beckons the heart, and writes lyrics that appeal to the brain, while bassist Daniel Lorca and drummer Ira Elliot put forth a backbeat underneath it all. Together, its a package that creates emotional songs that rock your face off.
Two of the neatest points in the night came towards the end of the show. The first was watching an entire 9:30 Club, both the balcony and the floor, follow Caws in a spirited side-to-side shuffle during the heart-wrenching “Inside of Love.” The second came shortly thereafter, when the the opening band, An Horse, and Nada Surf”s tour crew joined the Surf onstage for a ripping version of “Blankest Year,” which closed the show and this leg of the tour.
The crowd also got to partake in a mini Caws’ family reunion, as Caws’ father, step-mother, and sister were all in attendance. Nada Surf may have become a familiar entity during their tenure in the indie-rock world, but it’s an entity that will consistently hook your eardrums and fill your heart.
