Asbury Park, NJ beach rocker Mike Chick is back again with a lyric video for “I Hate Surfing”, the newest single from his latest album, More Thrills, Less Hills, out now via Mint 400 Records. “I Hate Surfing” is upbeat indie surf rock that nods its straw hat and pours out a shot of SPF 30 to groups like La Luz, Man or Astroman? and Dentist.
Chick says, “My favorite part of I Hate Surfing is the lyrics, but the end part was really fun to make. To me it sounds like a spaceship launch gone awry. I picture astronauts anxiously pressing buttons and flipping switches and throwing their headphones on the ground as steam is shooting out of pipes and warning lights are flashing on and off. Me and Bill Bourke kept importing different sounds into the track and tweaking them until they sounded out of control. We were laughing and shaking our heads the whole time. Mission accomplished.”
“I Hate Surfing” features Bill Bourke on drums, Gary Zampini on bass, and Emily Bornemann on vocals. Chick continues, “Gary has been one of my favorite bass players for years and when I finished this track I thought there was no one else to write the bass line but him. Luckily, he was down to do it. Thank you to Gary and also to Ray Beck for recording Gary’s bassline. Also, I was happy to have Emily on the track because her band Dentist was an influence in writing this song. I’m always happy to have Emily on a track. She rips.”
The lyric video features footage from a trip Mike Chick took to Italy in August 2023 and was shot on a MiniDV camera. “This is #2 of four lyric videos to be released featuring footage from my August 2023 Italy trip. This is the “Water” episode, hence using it for “I Hate Surfing”. Does Chick actually hate surfing? “Yeah, sometimes. I have a love-hate relationship with it. Surfing on a wave is one of the coolest feelings I have ever felt. There is no replication for that. However, paddling out sucks. Dealing with aggro bros in the lineup sucks. The idea that sharks can be right under your dangling feet is terrifying. I don’t know, sometimes the juice isn’t worth the squeeze. But I admire people who dedicate their lives to the sport and craft. I grew up at the Jersey Shore so it's a part of me.”
The video was edited by Mike Chick’s Yawn Mower bandmate Biff Swenson, who also shot and edited Chick’s videos for Call Up The Doctor, Deep Moat and Shake What They Gave You. More Thrills, Less Hills, is Chick’s third LP and follows 2022’s I Don’t Write Love Songs. Both are out now via Mint 400 Records.
https://mikechick.bandcamp.com/track/i-hate-surfing
https://open.spotify.com/track/50HbJyabQWJI3Z6EXoquPO?si=b2974b96f4f147c3