The Surf - Out of Step ep (1984)

Sounding remarkably straightlaced for a band emanating from the oft remarked hotbed of Athens, GA, The Surf owed zilch to the likes of REM and Pylon.  Funny that.  Instead, the quintet released this accomplished power pop ep in the mold of The Producers and Fools Face, offering an array of stupefyingly killer hooks.  Keyboards thoughtfully embellish The Surfs modus operandi, without dominating (though they conveniently lend themselves to the slick '80s mix Out of Step is for better or worse seeped in).  Excellent songs all the way around that fall more in the Yellow Pills realm than Teenline.  The only anomaly here is the concluding "I Don't Lie," which at it's entrance comes barreling down Romantics alley, copping a sliver or two of "What I Like About You," before recovering into something less plagiaristic. Sorry if the audio is a little choppy in spots, due to the crackly slab of vinyl that these tracks are sourced from.

01. This Time
02. Here We Go Again
03. Dance of the '80s
04. Please Surrender
05. Stealaway the Night
06. I Don't Lie

http://netkups.com/?d=6be1c03e25f3e