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".
Sabre-Tooth and Bone
Surfer Blood Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To see you clearly
Hidden in fog, just out of my reach
I knew that you'd find me
I was zoomed in on a narrow bend
Of car alarms
Now I can hear the french horns playing
Sometimes I can dwell on shortcomings
But you can see the better part of me
You know our lives have only just begun
And we'll be old and gray before it's all done
You know that I have searched the earth for you
Every day, we'll be clearing the cobwebs away
Trying hard to make ourselves a home
Out of cinnamon and chrome
And the day we finally make it ours
Then we can never be undone
I've counted the hours
And I'm sure we both are ready
Pacing the floor like something is missing
I dream of past lives
Sometimes I can dwell on shortcomings
But you can see the better part of me
You know our lives have only just begun
And we'll be old and gray before it's all done
You know that I have searched the earth for you
Every day, we'll be clearing the cobwebs away
Trying hard to make ourselves a home
Out of sabre-tooth and bone
And the day we finally make it ours
Then we can never be undone
The lyrics to Surfer Blood's song Sabre-Tooth and Bone embody the longing, anticipation, and excitement that accompany the search for a partner or companion. The singer describes the search, admitting that it took a long time to find the person they were destined to be with. The person was hidden in a fog, just out of reach, but they knew that eventually they would find each other. When they finally do, the world erupts into a symphony of sound - even the dissonance becomes music, and they are swept up into the blissful promise of a life together.
The lyrics are imbued with a sense of urgency and restlessness; the singer is pacing the floor, counting down the hours until they can be reunited with their partner. But despite the eagerness, there is also a sense of patience and readiness for whatever the future holds. They acknowledge that they may dwell on their own shortcomings, but their partner sees the better part of them. Together, they are clearing the cobwebs and building a home out of "cinnamon and chrome" - an intriguing and inspiring image. And through it all, they know that they have finally found each other, completing a journey that began long ago.
Overall, the lyrics to Sabre-Tooth and Bone evoke a sense of adventure, hope, and unbridled joy at finding the person who truly completes you. They paint a vivid picture of a relationship that can weather any storm and create a space of safety and welcome for both partners.
Line by Line Meaning
I've waited so long to find you
I have been seeking someone special for a long time.
To see you clearly
To be able to understand you well and know you deeply.
Hidden in fog, just out of my reach
You were difficult to find before, but now that I've found you, it feels like a miracle.
I knew that you'd find me
I had faith that our paths would cross and we would meet each other someday.
I was zoomed in on a narrow bend
I was only looking at a small part of life and was not able to see the big picture.
Of car alarms
The chaos and noise that surrounds us daily and makes it hard to hear the beautiful things.
Now I can hear the french horns playing
I can finally hear the beauty in life, despite all the noise.
Through all the dissonance
Despite all the clashing sounds around me, I can still appreciate the beautiful music.
Sometimes I can dwell on shortcomings
I sometimes get stuck on my flaws and things I wish I could do better.
But you can see the better part of me
You bring out the best in me and help me to see my strengths.
You know our lives have only just begun
We have so much more to experience and discover on this journey of life.
And we'll be old and gray before it's all done
We have a long time ahead of us to enjoy each other's company and grow old together.
You know that I have searched the earth for you
I have gone through many struggles to find you, but every challenge was worth it to be with you.
Every day, we'll be clearing the cobwebs away
We will work hard every day to make sure our relationship is strong, healthy, and free of any obstacles or negative energy.
Trying hard to make ourselves a home
We will do our best to create a cozy and comfortable living space where we feel safe and loved.
Out of cinnamon and chrome
We will use the best of what life has to offer, both the sweet and the hard, to create a beautiful life together.
And the day we finally make it ours
The day we can fully and truly call our life together ours and feel completely at home in it.
Then we can never be undone
Once we have created our life together, nothing could ever tear apart the love and bond we have built.
I've counted the hours
I have been eagerly waiting and anticipating this moment for a long time.
And I'm sure we both are ready
I am confident and certain that we are ready to take on whatever comes our way as a team.
Pacing the floor like something is missing
I feel like something was missing in my life, but now that I have found you, I feel complete.
I dream of past lives
I sometimes think about what life was like before we met and how different things used to be.
Every day, we'll be clearing the cobwebs away
We will constantly work on ourselves and our relationship to ensure that we are always growing and evolving together.
Trying hard to make ourselves a home
We will do whatever it takes to make our life together comfortable and filled with love.
Out of sabre-tooth and bone
We will use whatever tools and resources we have at our disposal to create the best life possible.
And the day we finally make it ours
The day we can finally truly own and feel at home in our life together.
Then we can never be undone
Our bond and love will be unbreakable, and we will always have each other to depend on.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JOHN PAUL PITTS, KEVIN ROBERT WILLIAMS, THOMAS JOHN FEKETE, TYLER JERRY SCHWARZ
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind