Nada Surf: The Stars Are Indifferent to Astronomy

Label: Barsuk

Let's be honest here: What Nada Surf fans want from a Nada Surf record is some Nada Surf. And so for their seventh album in their two-decade history, the NYC trio resists any temptation to reinvent their wheel (maybe that's what If I Had A Hi-Fi, their 2010 covers collection, was for) and simply delivers 10 more glistening guitar-pop gems, their first batch of new tunes since 2008. Impervious to trends, Nada Surf has a knack for making every song sound effortless, though we can be sure from the subtle touches that these guys do indeed sweat the details: the soft finger-picked acoustic that backs Matthew Caws's sweet vocal on "When I Was Young," which blasts away any nostalgic sentimentality when his electric guitar kicks in; the different textures of that same guitar on the modestly soaring "Looking Through"; and (sensing a trend here) the diving guitar melody on "Waiting for Something." Yes, this is why you want to refer to Nada Surf as a "guitar-pop band." The Stars Are Indifferent to Astronomy, but longtime fans should be quite pleased.