Night Birds’ retro-punk antics usually involve snotty vocals, not instrumentals—but the group has dropped the microphone for its latest release, Monster Surf. The four-song EP is a twangy blast of surf-punk fun that owes as much to Agent Orange as it does to Dick Dale. But the guys in Night Birds also pay homage to one of their favorite filmmakers, Mel Brooks, with a reverb-swamped, vocal-free rendition of “Hope For The Best (Expect The Worst),” a Brooks-penned song from his 1970 classic The Twelve Chairs. The cover version is being debuted here in all its beach-blanket glory. Hang ten. Or, er, twelve.
Monster Surf will be released May 12; the limited-edition vinyl can be pre-ordered from Wallride Records.
Night Birds tour 2014
May 15—Broadway Joe’s—Buffalo, New York
May 16—S.H.I.B.G.B.’s—Toronto, Ontario
May 17—Foufounes—Montreal, Quebec
May 21—Blue Lamp—Sacramento, California
May 22—Fat Warehouse—San Francisco, California
May 22—Thee Parkside—San Francisco, California
May 23—The Observatory—Santa Ana, California
May 24—Fremont Country Club—Las Vegas, Nevada
May 25—E7th—Los Angeles, California
May 30—Irving Plaza—New York, New York
June 28—Gamechanger World—Howell, New Jersey
July 5—Triple Rock—Minneapolis, Minnesota
July 6—Township—Chicago, Illinois
July 26—Voltage Lounge—Philadelphia, Pennsylvania