You never know what is going to make a song pop... it could be the lyrics, the hook, an incredible chorus --- or, in the case of Nevada-based surf-rock duo Surf Curse, an app.
Their 2013 song "Freaks" has seen a resurgence almost a decade after its initial release thanks to the Internet gravitating towards it once again, specifically on TikTok. "It's very confusing," Nick Rattigan says as his bandmate Jacob Rubeck laughs in agreement.
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Speaking with Audacy host Kevan Kenney over Zoom, Nick adds, "No one really knows why; you could say it's from this or that, but we haven't done a thing about it and it somehow seems to be streaming very well."
"We have a theory," Nick continues. "It's a song about alienation and being alone, and scared, and frightened, and that's what a lot of people are right now." Amid a global pandemic that has upended the lives of so many, "maybe it hit the right cultural note to sink into everybody's soul (and psyche) for a second," he wonders.
After almost ten years since "Freaks," the guys say the music that they're working on now "sounds nothing like" their older work. "It's more rock n' roll," Jacob says. "In a good way," he adds. "We kind of joke about it," says Nick, "like, 'if you like 'Freaks' then you're gonna hate this new song!'"
With all of that said, neither of them are complaining about all ofthe eyeballs and ears on their music. "If 'Freaks' is the only thing people wanna hear forever... Kate Bush has this quote," Nick relates, "where she's like, 'Wuthering Heights' is not my favorite song to play but I'm grateful for it' because it gives you the opportunity to do everything else you want to do."
"We're definitely proud of 'Freaks,' Jacob says. "We've never taken that song off our set list throughout the years. It's been the one that's stuck around and never left our minds."
Giving a little backstory of how the duo met, Jacob tells the "heartbreaking" tale of joining Nick and a mutual friend in a band hen they were just 13-years-old. After learning bass at the behest of his friend, Jacob was unceremoniously kicked out of the band while sitting in the stands at a football game -- next to his replacement. But the music that Nick created had always stuck with him, causing him to be a fan of the band he was once in. "Because of that I got to meet Nick, so it was very special," he admits.
Looking into the future of Surf Curse, Nick and Jacob are getting set to hit the road, with stops in NYC and Los Angeles this month. A full tour is still not in the works, as Nick will be playing shows with his other band, Current Joys, into 2022.
Follow along with the band for updates and watch the full interview with Surf Curse and Kevan Kenney above.
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