Founding members John Paul Pitts and Tyler Schwarz started playing music together in Orlando, Florida. They met Thomas Fekete at an Ultra Music Festival after party in Miami and the group was formed with the immediate goal of releasing a record and touring nonstop.
The band was originally called Jabroni Sandwich. Schwarz randomly came up with the name Surfer Blood during a conversation with Pitts about his surfer backpack from high school.
The band's 2009 debut single "Swim" gained much critical acclaim and was named as the 37th best track on Pitchfork's 100 Best Songs of 2009. They released their debut album Astro Coast in January 2010.
The band were widely considered to be the breakout band of 2009's CMJ Music Marathon. In March 2010, playing songs from their debut album Astro Coast, Surfer Blood made quite a splash at the SXSW NPR music party (and returned to SXSW in 2011). In May 2010, the band played at the ATP music festival curated by Pavement along with other groups such as Broken Social Scene, The Walkmen, and Atlas Sound. Later that month, Surfer Blood headed over to Spain to join the lineup at the San Miguel Primavera Sound Festival. In August of that year, Surfer Blood finished out the summer playing two more festivals; Splendour in the Grass in Australia and Summer Sonic in Tokyo.
The band was chosen by Les Savy Fav to perform at the ATP Nightmare Before Christmas festival that they co-curated in December 2011 in Minehead, England.
On October 25, 2011, Surfer Blood released the Tarot Classics EP on Kanine Records. The EP's first single "Miranda" debuted on Pitchfork on August 30, 2011 and "I'm Not Ready" was named NPR's Song of the Day on December 8, 2011. Artists that contributed remixes to the EP include Totally Sincere (Connor Hanwick of the Drums and Peggy Wang of The Pains of Being Pure at Heart), Speculator, School of Seven Bells and Allen Blickle.
The band opened for the Pixies during their Doolittle Lost Cities Tour in 2011. The tour came about after Pitts met the Pixies in an airport in New Zealand and they said they were already familiar with Surfer Blood's music. Surfer Blood performed a cover of their song "Gigantic" for the AV Club's music-video series "AV Undercover" which Pitts says he'd like to think that was "the needle that broke the camel's back when it came to the decision" to tour with them.
On January 9, 2012, they appeared on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon where they performed the single "Miranda" off of Tarot Classics. The next day, news spread that the band would be entering the studio in February 2012 with producer Phil Ek (Fleet Foxes, Built to Spill) to record their highly anticipated second album which was released on Warner Bros. Records.
In May 2012, the band confirmed via their Twitter account that they were moving to California on May 12, 2012 to record their second album with legendary producer Gil Norton.
On January 21, 2013, they uploaded a new song off their next album, Pythons, called "Weird Shapes".
In February 2014, the band announced that work on their third record had begun.
On May 20, 2014, the band debuted a video of them playing a new song titled "Island". The song has been played before back in 2011, during various radio sessions.
On September 16, 2014, a new song titled "NW Passage" was debuted on Soundcloud, as part of their split single with We Are Scientists.
On February 17, 2015, the band announced their third album "1000 Palms" and that it would be released on Fierce Panda / Joyful Noise Recordings on May 12. The lead single, "Dorian", was premiered on BBC Radio 1 at midnight.
Original guitarist Thomas Fekete left the band in 2015 shortly after the announcement of their third album, "1000 Palms," due to a medical diagnosis for a rare form of cancer (Sarcoma) that had spread to his lungs and spine. The band announced a fundraising effort to help alleviate Thomas' medical bills through the site GoFundMe on April 20, 2015. On May 31, 2016, Fekete's wife Jessica announced that he had passed away.
In April 2015, the song "Swim" was featured in an episode of the Netflix series "Daredevil."
Surfer Blood shared the video for album track "Island" in June 2015, in support of "1000 Palms".
In October 2015, the band announced that their longtime bassist, Kevin Williams, was leaving the band to pursue a new job in Austin, TX. The band later announced that their long time friend from high school, Lindsey Mills, would be replacing Kevin on bass.
Discography
Albums
Astro Coast (2010) #124 U.S.
Pythons (2013) #127 U.S.
1000 Palms (2015) #160 U.S.
Snowdonia (2017)
EPs
Tarot Classics (October 25, 2011)
Singles
"Swim" (2009)
"Slow Jabroni" (2009)
"Take It Easy" (17-04-2010, Kanine Records)
"Swim" (01-05-2010, re-release on Rough Trade)
"Floating Vibes" (28-09-2010, Kanine Records)
"Miranda" (2011, Kanine Records)
"Demon Dance" (2013, Warner Bros. Records)
"Spanish Bombs" (2013, Warner Bros. Records)
"I Can't Explain" (2015, Joyful Noise Recordings)
Appearances in media
The band's song "Swim" is playable in the video game Power Gig: Rise of the SixString. "Swim" and "Floating Vibes" have also been released as downloadable content for the Rock Band video game series through its Rock Band Network service. "Floating Vibes" also appears in video game "Test Drive Unlimited 2". The band's song and music video for "Demon Dance" appears in the video game "Guitar Hero Live".
Miranda
Surfer Blood Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You left me hanging again.
We just let each other down
To let each other back in.
How can you say to me
That it's not meant to be?
How can you say to me
I could never leave you
So I followed you into
Cities where our harmony
Was splintered into two.
How can you tell me?
You tell me it's not true.
How can you say to me
It's not meant to be?
If anyone's to blame
Then let me know their name.
No room left to believe,
For love to intercede.
No room for make believe.
Ah oh, oh oh.
Miranda.
Miranda.
Miranda.
If I could just hold your hand
You'd understand completely.
Feel I've lost my best friend.
Don't know where to begin.
What should I say to you
To make you think it through?
How can you say to me
It's not meant to be?
So please just let me be,
Or make it known to me.
Miranda I can't tell
Which demons to expel.
Gardenias everywhere you stare.
Whoa - oh.
Miranda.
Miranda.
Miranda.
Oh oh oh.
The lyrics of Surfer Blood's song "Miranda" tell the story of a failed relationship and the struggle to move on. The singer is asking for help from Miranda, who has left him hanging again. He admits that they have both let each other down in the past, but they keep coming back to each other. Miranda tells him that it's not meant to be, but he can't accept that. He follows her to different cities even though their harmony is splintered.
The singer is confused and wants answers. He is struggling to understand why Miranda keeps telling him that it's not meant to be. He can't imagine leaving her, but he also can't continue to live in a state of uncertainty. He is looking for someone to blame, but realizes that there is no room left for love to intercede. Despite all of this, he still holds on to hope that they could work things out. He wants to hold her hand and make her understand how he feels.
Line by Line Meaning
Help me out Miranda,
Asking Miranda for help, seeking her assistance.
You left me hanging again.
Miranda abandoned narrator, left him alone in a difficult situation.
We just let each other down
Both parties failed each other in some way, leading to disappointment.
To let each other back in.
Despite the earlier setbacks, both still want to patch things up and move forward.
How can you say to me
That it's not meant to be?
Challenging Miranda's assertion that things weren't meant to be and questioning her perspective.
I could never leave you
So I followed you into
Cities where our harmony
Was splintered into two.
The singer would never abandon Miranda and followed her to new places, but something about these new locations has fragmented their relationship.
How can you tell me?
You tell me it's not true.
How can you say to me
It's not meant to be?
Reiterating confusion and disbelief over Miranda's convictions about their relationship.
If anyone's to blame
Then let me know their name.
Explicitly calling out for accountability and placing blame on someone specific.
No room left to believe,
For love to intercede.
No room for make believe.
Ah oh, oh oh.
These lines convey a sense of despair, hopelessness, and a general feeling that there's no saving the relationship.
If I could just hold your hand
You'd understand completely.
Believing that physical touch might help convey an emotional message that words cannot.
Feel I've lost my best friend.
Don't know where to begin.
The singer is feeling a deep sense of loss over their current state and struggles to find a way forward.
What should I say to you
To make you think it through?
How can you say to me
It's not meant to be?
Wondering aloud what they could say to get Miranda to reconsider, emphasizing the relationship's potential.
So please just let me be,
Or make it known to me.
Miranda I can't tell
Which demons to expel.
Alternating between asking to be left alone and requesting clear communication for what Miranda wants from the relationship. The 'demons' refer to negative feelings that must be overcome or moved past
Gardenias everywhere you stare.
Whoa - oh.
Gardenias are associated with grace, elegance, and sweetness - and may suggest that even in the midst of difficulty, the singer still sees value in Miranda and their love.
Miranda.
Miranda.
Miranda.
Oh oh oh.
The repetition like a mantra, emphasising the importance of the relationship and its significance to the singer.
Contributed by Cameron C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.