Kudos is an anachronism. It simply shouldn’t be. It is the antithesis to modern music. While every other band is doing their best to sound like the future, New Zealanders Surf City are stuck in the past. There’s nothing futuristic about it, and yet, like a Magic Eye image, if you stare into their gaping sonic void for long enough, a conclusion reveals itself. Suddenly, it all makes sense: Surf City sound so fresh because they’re not trying to sound fresh.

From the moment the first glassy guitar notes of ‘Crazy Rulers Of The World’ stream from the speakers, it’s clear that the six years the band have spent working toward their debut were worth it. In fact, just why Kudos succeeds so resolutely could be put down to the band’s patience. Their self-titled EP wasn’t released until 2008; likewise, nothing about Kudos feels rushed. Again, Surf City is antithetical to modern music, and the forever fast-forwarded release cycle perpetuated by tech-savvy musicians. Their social networking sites are neglected. Too busy making amazing music, I guess.

The “woos” and “ah-ah-ahs” that punctuate the title track are endearing. A sense of melancholy creeps into ‘Retro’ and makes itself at home. The unaccompanied bass intro to ‘Teacher’ calls to mind The Stone Roses’ ‘I Wanna Be Adored’; the track itself is sung with a slacker cadence that’d make Steve Malkmus proud. ‘Autumn’ gurgles with searing, MBV-style guitar loops, a symphony of cymbal samples and an imposing bassline. Following track ‘CIA’ is the straightest, punkest tune here. Album closer ‘Zombies’ sounds like it was written and recorded on the spot after a week-long bender; its edges torn and frayed, its participants dead on their feet, yet still marching. By album’s end, you’re so disoriented that you don’t know what the hell it is you just heard – all you know is that you must hear it again.

I’ve made it this far without mentioning ‘Icy Lakes’. This takes considerable restraint, believe me. It’s a saccharine rave so wide-eyed and beautiful that you wish it to never end. While the rhythm section stays pinned to a groove, the guitarists shear off great chunks of the surrounding landscape with abrasive, Jesus & Mary Chain-like chords. Needling lead phrases punctuate each section, while the singer says “When your icy lakes swallow me” in the chorus over and over (or so I imagine; it’s pretty hard to tell through all the reverb). The result is a song more deserving of that idiotically-overused descriptor “widescreen” than any song that came before it. The best part is that the band is acutely aware of the rare musical alchemy they’ve tapped into, and opt to extend the jam to nearly eight gorgeous minutes.

In Kudos, Surf City have engineered a rare double: a debut album that’s both timeless, and out-of-time. There’s only one word for it, but they’ve already taken it for their album title.

by Andrew McMillen