Nada Surf

Nada Surf is an American alternative rock band, formed in 1992 in New York and consisting of Matthew Caws (guitar, vocals), Ira Elliot (drums, backup vocals) and Daniel Lorca (bass, backup vocals).

Their debut album, “High/Low,” was issued by Elekrta Records in 1996. The album reached #63 on the Billboard 200 Albums chart and featured the single, “Popular,” which peaked at #11 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.

In Europe, their second LP, “The Proximity Effect,” was released in September 1998, produced by Fred Maher. However, the album did not gain commercial success in the United States. Elekrta, thinking the album lacked a hit like “Popular,” had the band record many covers, including “Black & White” (The dBs) and “Why Are You So Mean To Me?” (Vitreous Humor), to issue as singles. Tired of the requirements of Elektra, the band judged the album was complete and broke its contract. As a consequence, Elektra did not release the album in the U.S. and dropped the band while they were on a promotional tour in Europe.

After being dropped by Elektra, the band waged a legal battle to get the rights to “The Proximity Effect;” the litigation ended in the year 2000 and the band released the album in August 2000 on their own label, MarDev.

“Let Go” was released in 2002 by Barsuk Records. It was well-received by critics and reached #31 on Billboard's Top Independent Albums chart. Their fourth full-length album, “The Weight Is a Gift,” was issued by Barsuk in 2005. It was produced by Death Cab for Cutie guitarist Chris Walla and featured vocals from the Long Winters frontman John Roderick. It peaked at #15 on the Billboard Independent Albums chart.

The band released “Lucky,” on Barsuk in 2008. It reached #82 on the Billboard 200 Albums chart and #8 on the Independent chart. In 2010 Nada Surf released a covers album, “If I Had A Hi-Fi,” on their own MarDev Records. The album’s title is a palindrome.