When I first moved from my little hometown in Pennsylvania to start college in downtown Los Angeles, I don’t think I was as prepared as I made myself believe for the inevitable cultural shock I was in for. I’d long dreamed of living in California one day, but adjusting to life in a new city can be tough for anyone, especially one across the country. Confronted with my new reality—being that guy taking pictures of every palm tree, sampling every one of the suddenly infinite supply of juice bars now available to me—I struggled at first. But when I walked down the Santa Monica pier for the first time, listening to the crashing of Pacific waves and carefree buskers serenading the streets, I felt a little bit more at home.
Surf Tapes, the new musical endeavor of San Diego-based musician Jared Castellaw, bottles up this essence of California chill and mixes in a refreshing mix of groove and dream pop. On his latest track, “Birds,” Castellaw makes good use of distorted guitars, ambient synths, and unflustered drum ostinatos to build an atmosphere of subdued delight. Here, the chilled-out California soundscape mixes with subtle hints of New Orleans swinging rhythms, no doubt influenced by Castellaw’s decade-long residency in the city.
The song’s opening, notable especially for its rumbling bassline, immediately creates a world of immense space. The sonic landscape is wide open, cast over by Castellaw’s reverberating vocals. In a line that doesn’t really get more California at all, “As the sun burns down in my eyes over the boulevard / Stoned and beautiful, you know you take my breath away,” he sings gently, in a murmur that does seem almost breathless. “No, there’s nobody else,” he continues, his voice rising in assertion. “Just two birds talking too close.”
Similar to the dream pop subgenre, Surf Tapes seems especially attentive to the immersive aspect of his music. “That’s how we fall in love,” he croons over rumbling bass, vigorous drums, and distorted, warbling guitars. With spacey vocal effects and densely produced aural texture, Castellaw transports the listener to a murky, almost psychedelic dimension. As he nears the end of the song, the instruments gradually drop out, leaving a piano to descend breezily down the keyboard and letting the vibrating synths bring the immersion to a close.
Jared Castellaw expresses thoughtful attention to atmosphere as Surf Tapes in his latest track. It’s a song rich with dense sounds that mix to deliver lush results, dreamily encapsulating the sentiment of California with a twist.
