Hidden Track

If you obsessively watched MTV anytime during the mid ‘90s there is a good chance you were familiar with Nada Surf and their quirky, spoken word-esque tome to dating and high school life: Popular.

You know, the one that kind of sounded like Weezer’s Sweater Song. Ringing a bell now? Well it was the kind of song that had many thinking they’d just be another one-hit wonder destined to be featured as the punch line on countless VH1 retro shows. Heck their own label even thought that, and dropped them because they didn’t think their follow-up album had another hit song like Popular.

End of story, right? Well not exactly. Nada Surf might have fallen off the collective mainstream music radar for a few years, but they were still hard at work crafting a new sound and recording. It was one of those records – 2003’s critically acclaimed Let Go - that my old roommate insisted I listen to. I instantly latched onto its lush, dreamy indie-pop, and it became the number one album I pushed on friends to make sure they heard too. Keep reading so I can convert you into a fan as well…

You may already be a fan this Brooklyn based trio, and not even know it. In the last few years Nada Surf’s songs have been featured in a number of television shows and movies – they have a certain soundtrack-y quality to their sound. Take a listen to Inside Of Love and you’ll instantly understand what that means….

Kind of a far cry from their days at the forefront of the post-grunge movement. I’ve caught Nada Surf a handful of times, most recently last Friday night at the Bowery. They put on the kind of show you’d expect from a seasoned indie-rock band. Let’s take a gander at Happy Kid:

The band released their latest effort Lucky last week, and is in the midst of a world tour that brings them back to the states in March. Here are the North American dates:

3/17: Tempe, AZ @ Clubhouse
3/18: San Diego, CA @ House of Blues
3/19: Los Angeles, CA @ Henry Fonda Theater
3/21: Pomona, CA @ Glass House
3/22: San Francisco, CA @ Fillmore
3/25: Sacramento, CA @ Harlow’s
3/28: Seattle, WA @ Showbox at The Market
3/29: Vancouver, CA @ Commodore Ballroom
4/01: Englewood, CO @ Gothic Theatre
4/02: Omaha, NE @ Waiting Room
4/03: Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
4/04: Chicago, IL @ Metro
4/05: Detroit, MI @ St. Andrews Hall
4/07: Toronto, CA @ Opera House
4/08: Montreal, CA @ Club Soda
4/10: Boston, MA @ Paradise
4/11: New York, NY @ Terminal 5 w/ Superdrag
4/12: Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
4/13: Philadelphia, PA @ Trocadero

• Further Listening: KCRW Morning Becomes Eclectic