Nada Surf

Nada Surf released their sophomore album The Proximity Effect in 1998, but due to some major label nonsense, it did not receive the attention it deserved. The band is trying to fix that by re-releasing this gem of a record, and you should make sure not to miss it this time.

With The Proximity Effect, Nada Surf set out to make a "good" record and ended up, in their own inimitable way, making a great one. One that didn't wedge itself in any particular subgenre, and, like all great rock records, one that wasn't trying to be anything except what it was: a collection of intelligent songs dealing with break-ups and showdowns, getting drunk and getting over it, fixing yourself for the last time and meeting yourself for the first. The album is built of indelible melodies and heart-stopping choruses that won't leave your head for days. "Hyperspace," "Amateur" and "Bad Best Friend" have the stand-out hooks, but there isn't an average song to be found in the bunch — they all just get better with every listen — and with the gravity-defying "80 Windows", Nada Surf wrote themselves a genuine classic.