Big Things on the Horizons (for Surfaces)!
By MADDIE CESARETTI ‘21
I like to think that I listen to a variety of music. By keeping an open mind in terms of genres and artists, I enjoy experimenting with music and hearing a range of sounds. One of the ways I often do so is through my Spotify playlists (shameless plug: my username is madeleine.c7). Spotify offers a host of functions that I think make it easier to discover new artists. As much as I try to put myself out of my comfort zone, however, I do often gravitate towards certain artists and genres over and over again. Over the past few years, though, I’ve especially found myself returning to the Texas-based duo, Surfaces.
Surfaces was founded by twenty-somethings Forrest Frank and Colin Padalecki, and the band released their first album Surf in 2017. They further cemented themselves as artists in their upbeat, genre-bending niche with their follow-up album Where the Light Is in 2019; the release of this second album allowed Surfaces to find greater traction. Their song “Sunday Best” pushed them to even more musical success when it became a viral TikTok smash hit with a dance replicated by many of the most popular TikTok creators—including some of Milton Academy’s very own TikTok-ers. With an increasing number of radio plays and appearances on talk shows, as well as a currently sold-out tour, Surfaces is beginning to break into mainstream music consciousness.
That being said, Surfaces’ third studio album, dubbed Horizons, dropped just this past week. Following in the footsteps of their past successes, the album is an impressive collection of music that clearly flexes the muscles of artists who know their identity, sound, and audience well. From the peaceful interludes to the more fast-paced songs, the album consistently delivers exactly what Surfaces is best known for: their positive, upbeat messaging.
Constance Legrand (II), another avid fan of the band, noted that her favorite song on the album is “Dancing with Nobody” because “it has the best melody and a great mesh between relaxing and upbeat music.” Surfaces frequently uses this pattern of blending different styles, and I’m glad to see them continue to experiment in this way.
The positive themes, as delivered by Horizons, are ubiquitous in the band’s work and, in my opinion, are also a large reason why more and more people are starting to follow Surfaces; the positive messages of many of their songs feel refreshing—especially in the sea of many more negatively charged songs being released day after day. While both of these styles are perfectly acceptable and are produced by very talented artists, I personally enjoy listening to Surfaces when I want to relax, smile, or simply ~vibe~ with my friends.
Listening to their newest album, anyone can see the growth that the band has made as artists. The refinement of sound is clear through the entire album; every song fits. I thoroughly enjoy Horizons, and I encourage Surfaces to consider blending different sounds even more often moving forward. Overall, I’m a huge fan of the band themselves, the positive messages they currently stand for, and the music itself; I highly recommend Horizons, and any of Surfaces’ other songs, for anyone looking for an upbeat, relaxing time.