CLOUDSURFERS takes her inspiration from Californian garage rock and Australian psych rock but also from the many guitar bands in The Netherlands. And that shows! Don’t Know What Hit Me is a collection of ten sunny hard hitters with firm choruses and furious leads which make you want to grab a beer and enter a good mosh. The album shows similarities to Melted by Ty Segall and Badillac by Together PANGEA.
Don’t Know What Hit Me is a personal and emotional record for singer and writer Thom Liesting. Nonetheless, it is optimistic and witty. On the album you find themes such as psychoses, psychiatry, anxiety disorders, confusing relationships, medication, hospitalisation and the mental battle within oneself. However, joyful childhood recollections, travel memories and the puzzlement in lust and love can also be found in the lyrics.
The album kicks off on the A-side with the anthemic banger Surf the Cloud after which the title track comes in which its captivating chorus. After the catchy Prices, followed by the wrecking Sweet Tooth the band rounds this side off with My Body Is Weak followed by a sonic explosion of noise. The band sounds the heaviest on the B-side, opening with Samples and Shrink, pursued by the mid-paced Dad’s Advice. Pancreas Infection shows Thom’s strong vocal skills, combined with a King Gizzard esque lead guitar. The band shows a whole new side to themselves with the final track, Sincere. Is it a balled? Do we hear a cello?
Cloudsurfers recorded this album in their rehearsal space with some help from Chris Wassenaar, from the Dutch band Psychotic Lumberjacks. It is mixed by Redmer Kamsma (from JSSY and Magnetic Spacemen) and it is mastered by Pier Durk Hogeterp at Wisseloord Studios. The artwork is designed by Justin Ghijsen. Shortly after the band launched their career, corona messed up their plans and wiped their agenda clean. So they decided to lend a few thousand euros from Thom’s grandma in order to record their debut album. In addition they set up a merch line by dyeing T-shirts by hand to complete financing the ordeal. Cloudsurfers is a real DIY band: they released DKWHM by themselves. Don’t Know What Hit Me is available on yellow vinyl.
