Nada Surf Have a Good Time on ‘Moon Mirror’

The last time we heard from Nada Surf, on 2020’s Never Not Together, the long-running power pop band was in a reflective mood. Some of the lyrics had a philosophical bent, and one track, “Something I Should Do”, featured frontman Matthew Caws going on extended spoken word rants, hammering home the point, “Empathy is good / A lack of empathy is bad / Holy math says we’re never not together.” On that record, Nada Surf sounded energized. In retrospect, though, as it was released near the end of the Trump Administration, the lyrical viewpoint sounds more like a plea for people to calm down and let sanity reassert itself.

Moon Mirror, in contrast, arrives in a (for now) post-Trump, post-COVID environment and is a much more relaxed record. From a musical perspective, there isn’t much that’s different. Nada Surf have been doing the same sort of catchy guitar pop for decades, and this sounds similar. Fortunately, the group are very good at what they do.

The clearest indication of the shift in perspective comes in the hard-rocking “Intel and Dreams”. Pounding drums are quickly followed by distorted guitar and noisy organ. The guitar shifts between a bright major chord and a scuzzy minor chord, and when Caws comes in singing, he’s saying, “Good chord / Bad chord / Good chord / Bad chord” with the changes. That’s the kind of silly half-joke one might make at band practice, but the fact that they left it in the recording (and it comes back a second time later) is an indication of the fun Nada Surf were having. Caws’ lyrics go from celebrating being on your own and living in a quiet space to reminiscing about growing up with his older sister and missing that closeness. Even at their lightest, Nada Surf still bring in a touch of bittersweetness.

Moon Mirror also opens at a high energy level with “Second Skin”, a big, bright rocker with catchy riffs, good melodies, and excellent vocal harmonies. The second track, “In Front of Me Now”, hits similarly, except it includes prominent synth work from Louie Lino. Lino has played keyboards for Nada Surf for a while, but this is the first time he’s been credited as a full contributor. Does this mean the longtime trio are a quartet now? For 2016’s You Know Who You Are, Doug Gillard became their second guitarist, only to have departed by the time Never Not Together was released. Still, Lino’s contributions are all over Moon Mirror, and he adds body to the songs.

“Moon Mirror” is the first ballad, and it’s a strong one. It’s classic electrified folk-rock that fellow power-pop artist Matthew Sweet has specialized in for years. Caws’ tenor vocals are up front in the mix, which really emphasizes the song’s hopeful, striving emotion. The other two ballads, “New Propeller” and “Floater”, are plaintive, wistful, and very effective. The former finds Caws being reassuring, singing “Don’t be afraid / You won’t be replaced” as the chorus.

“Floater” closes Moon Mirror on a darker note, with a tense guitar opening that’s more ominous than reassuring. It initially brings to mind Nada Surf’s classic track “Killian’s Red”. After just over a minute, though, the song brightens considerably and stays that way whenever Caws is singing. It drops back into the darker section in the middle but then returns to the more upbeat feel the rest of the way to finish the record.

Most of the rest of Moon Mirror is also upbeat. The bouncy “X is You” is fueled by catchy piano chords and shuffling drums. “The One You Want” shifts between a tension-filled initial guitar riff and a brighter main verse and chorus backed with strings and piano, but it’s connected by Ira Elliot’s military-style snare drumming. “Open Seas” chugs along as a relatively standard rocker, but it suddenly soars when it hits the back half of the chorus. Once the listener is familiar with the song, that refrain becomes one of the record’s high points. Unfortunately, Nada Surf only play it twice, leaving us hanging a bit at the end of the song.

While Nada Surf doesn’t have any big statements to make this time, it’s nice to hear them relaxed and enjoying themselves on Moon Mirror. There’s a lightness to this record that goes well with their power-pop sound, making it a lot of fun. After nearly 30 years and ten albums, this isn’t the kind of group drawing in throngs of new fans. Those who have followed them for a long time should be quite pleased with Moon Mirror.