Surfer Blood Announces New Album 'Snowdonia,' Out 2/3 via Joyful Noise

Surfer Blood Announces New Album Snowdonia, Out February 3rd via Joyful Noise Recordings (pre-order) Stream "Six Flags in F or G"    Surfer Blood has announced their fourth studio album, Snowdonia, due out February 3rd via Joyful Noise Recordings. A sonic departure for the band, Snowdonia is Surfer Blood's first release since the tragic loss of guitarist Thomas Fekete to cancer in May 2016. Snowdonia was written shortly after the band's first long tour without Fekete, as lead singer John Paul Pitts struggled with Fekete’s absence and the weight of getting older. Featuring a talented new lineup that sees Michael McCleary on guitar and Lindsey Mills on bass -- both high school classmates of Pitts and drummer Tyler Schwarz -- Snowdoniamarks the first time since the band's debut album, 2010's Astro Coast, that Pitts has written and mixed a Surfer Blood record alone. Though the album features plenty of Surfer Blood's signature hooks, it also incorporates heavier themes. One of the record’s darkest songs, "Six Flags in F or G," was written as Pitts grappled with Fekete’s illness and his absence on tour. You can stream the track where it premiered with Noisey or via Soundcloud. Shortly after Fekete was diagnosed with cancer, Pitts’ mother was diagnosed with breast cancer and began undergoing chemotherapy. Her illness inspired him to write “Carrier Pigeon” -- Pitts notes it is the most narrative and autobiographical song he’s ever written, and it embodies his attempts to reconcile the love he has for his parents with not always loving how they choose to see the world. Other tracks on the record attempt to deal with aging in a more playful way. “Matter of Time” is a straightforward pop song that focuses on the decision of when to get married, something Pitts is now considering at age 30. “Taking Care of Eddy” can be taken literally: it was written about Pitts' girlfriend's great uncle, Eddy, an 84-year-old who suffered stunted development after a car accident as a child. As a result, he thinks and acts like an eight year old, has Parkinson's disease, and can't get around by himself, but maintains a childlike sense of wonder. While taking care of him hasn't been easy, Pitts tried to inject some of Eddy's playfulness into the song. While Snowdonia grapples with heavier material, Pitts likens some of the more complex songs to Astro Coast track "Anchorage," though the new songs were written specifically with the band's current lineup and new strengths in mind. Wanting to play up McCleary and Mills' vocal skills, he wrote layers of vocals into almost every track and added call-and-response parts between himself and Mills throughout the album. With enormous attention to detail, the eight tracks on Snowdonia make the album Surfer Blood's most ambitious release yet.   Six Flags in F or G lyrics: Caught up in a pissing contest, gasping empty air. I'm losing precious time so don't keep me in mind. Nourished by my disappointment. Parasitic grief, and there's no turning back, a widow dressed in black. Silence. Golden. Where I used to look for comfort is cursed hollow cold. Right back in death's embrace, a man without a face. I became completely lucid, said "who are, who are you?" I felt his icy breath. When I turned around to face him I was paralyzed. I couldn't turn around  or open up my eyes. You'll get over it easy, babe. See you're bouncing right back again. Right now its overkill, but in six months it will be fine, even charming. Yea. If the angels would sing today you'd explain it away, I'm sure. And when the nearest dream recedes, the dream of Reading and of Leeds all going off at once in your mind. One of these days, gonna get to the heart. One of these days, when the bridge falls apart. One of these days, right back at the start. One of these days, we'll never be apart again. Burning Six Flags in effigy. Didn't read the report, but you know he's such a juggernaut, and its never not a lot in the passionless void. What a bitter macaroon. What a sour eclair. And this hysteria has made us all aware of where all the buoys are submerged. One of these days, gonna get to the heart. One of these days, when the bridge falls apart. One of these days, right back at the start. One of these days, we'll never ever be apart. Snowdonia Track Listing: 1. Matter of Time 2. Frozen 3. Dino Jay 4. Six Flags in F or G 5. Snowdonia 6. Instant Doppelgängers  7. Taking Care of Eddy 8. Carrier Pigeon