VIA PRESS RELEASE | Yep Roc Records and Chuck Prophet announce the 10th anniversary edition of Night Surfer, Prophet’s widely acclaimed 2014 album. Available for pre-order now, the reissue edition features a remastered LP in “Twilight Wave” color vinyl.
Originally released September 23, 2014, Night Surfer captures Prophet’s beloved city in motion across a 12-song set—equal parts shimmering and shadowy. Produced by Brad Jones and Chuck Prophet, Night Surfer was recorded at Decibelle Recording in San Francisco and Alex The Great Recording in Nashville, and mixed by Paul Q. Kolderie. The album’s line-up and collaborators nod to Prophet’s deep network and features contributions from R.E.M. stalwarts Peter Buck (guitars) and the late Bill Rieflin, whose rhythmic instincts thread grit through the album’s glam-tinged sparkle.
Of the original album, Chuck Prophet wrote: “There are a lot of little stories on this record. But they seem to add up to one big story. What that overarching story is, I am not really sure, but I’ll know it when it punches me in the face. It’s loosely conceptual but universal all the same, I’d contend. And of course, you’ll find it laced with humor and a persistent anxiety throughout. And while I had originally considered all this leaning toward the dystopian, now I wonder. The future might just save us. But we have to get there first.”
The album garnered wide critical praise: Esquire lauded the record’s San Francisco DNA—“still psychedelic but also jamming, occasionally neurotic,” while All Music praised the album’s vivid, short-story songwriting offering “whether he’s hitting the highway… or jotting down mental notes about strangers in the park, Prophet has a great eye for details,” and Chicago Tribune hailed it as a “deeply rooted, contemporary garage-rock gem.” During the album’s 2014 campaign, an official video was released for “Wish Me Luck” along with an acoustic live performance of “Ford Econoline” filmed for the label’s Sawyer Sessions.
Next week, Chuck will kick off a 27-date fall tour run with a return to the stages of AmericanaFest in Nashville, TN, followed by dates in the South and East Coast before returning to the West Coast in October for Hardly Strictly Bluegrass. Late October, he will head overseas to Norway, UK, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and Sweden.
