It's now time for our 186th monthly CD review at The Sault Metal Scene, and final one of 2024! With our new album backlog finally cleared up, it's time to dip into the archives for the first time since 2022, but as local concerts in general slowed down this month, there's not much to tie in with bands who played live recently. As such, let's go with a prominent album that I have yet to review on here, and a glaring omission on my part is local punk quartet The Inner City Surfers' self-titled fourth (and final?) CD from October 23rd, 2007! Released through Fontana North and Universal Music Canada, this album (commonly nicknamed the "Black Album" to distinguish it from their also-self-titled debut "Blue Album" from 2000) was produced by Simon Head at Insight Recorders in Toronto, and features The Surfers' classic lineup, including singer/guitarist Dustin Jones, singer/bassist Brad "Example" Lacell, guitarist Dave Bahun, and drummer Mikey Hawdon.
By far the most successful Inner City Surfers album, it's long out of print today and surprisingly elusive to find physical copies of despite its renown among fans (I don't even have a CD copy of it), but the album is readily available on major streaming services. If you want to actually buy it, mp3 copies of the "Black Album" are on sale via Amazon Music for $9.49 and iTunes for $9.99, so consider doing so to support the guys extra! Song names below are linked to their YouTube copies. With 13 tracks (including four re-recordings from 2002's "Laughing On The Outside") running for around 40 minutes, let's begin this long overdue CD review!
2007's "Inner City Surfers" leads off with "All I Know", whose lively bass intro leads into a nice folksy punk number that picks up with some strong punk riffing alternating with casual and laid back vocals and slightly punkier choruses. It changes tempo a lot, but subtly, and it's a good balance to hit the punk beats while also showing their influences and diversity! Dustin's relatable lyrics and melodic vocals fit really well, and everyone does their part musically to start this album on the right foot! Next up is the album's shortest song, "Pickin' From The Country", which is a rollicking cowpunk song that appears to feature bassist Brad Example on lead vocals, as he did on "A Few Drinks" & "If I Leave" on prior albums. I can picture this one being a live favourite with more country-amenable fans, and while I prefer punk, it's certainly a toe tapper! Brad's raspy singing fits well, and Dave's fast picking guitar shows off his range!
Third on the CD is "Getaway", which takes things back to punkier territory with Dustin singing, but this is a mid-tempo number that reminds me of something that could have been pitched as a rock radio single. In that way, it's not super ambitious, but it's a familiar song that's tightly composed and has a catchy melody. If anything, I think it could have been lengthened a bit, perhaps with a guitar solo, but it's a fun song for what it is, and it shows off their ear for good melodies and lyrics right along! That's followed by "Booze 'N Doobs", which is the first of four re-recordings from "Laughing On The Outside" five years prior. Essentially the Surfers' official drinking/smoking song, the 2007 version is played a little faster than on the original version, and obviously has better recording quality with more distinct instruments, but both versions are largely identical. A little too reserved still, but fans of their country sides will still like it!
"Here's To The Days" is up next with a more upbeat & rock based sound that always feels like it has forward momentum. For me, it's a little cheery, but it's another good example of an audience involvement number that goes well with a mug of beer, and we get Dave's best rock guitar solo on the album yet as a result! Brad's bass line is well implemented, and he shares vocal duties with Dustin, with the two alternating vocals on the verses, which is subtle but you catch on after a bit. Good stuff, if not as punk as other cuts! Another drinking-friendly song is next, namely "Never Ender Bender", which has Brad on lead vocals again. This is definitely a more rock-driven song than "Pickin' From The Country", but it surprisingly has a piano bridge to the final chorus. Nice casual sound that would again play well live, and Mikey's drumming suits the pacing of it well, so it's a fun number for fans of their drinking songs!
We hit the midpoint of the "black album" with "What A Life", which was the CD's advance single, and even had its own music video. Lyrically about wasting the best parts of life due to responsibilities, this song leans more into driving folk influences, with Dustin employing some very fast singing on the verses, which help tell the story better, so listen close! It's a little short, but they pack a lot in, and everyone handles this song with ease, though I did find that the acapella layered singing at the end went a tad too long. Fun while it lasts though! Song #8 is "Won't Belong", the second of four "Laughing On The Outside" re-recordings, Like with "Booze 'N Doobs", this doesn't stray far from the original upbeat country number, but it is a little longer, and the difference in vocals from Brad's lead singing and Dustin's portrayal of what "she" said is more distinct. I like my Surfers punkier than this, but the redo is well made!
Ninth up is "Lil' Shy", which has Mikey on lead vocals (no idea if he and Dustin traded roles as sometimes happened live though), so this will appeal to fans of his later work as a punk frontman here and in the GTA! A female singer guests on the bridge, but without access to the original album's liner notes, I don't have credits for her identity at hand. This is definitely one of the punkiest songs on the album so far, with Mikey's vocals fitting the pounding riff nicely, and it's a fun rocker with strong riffs, but the soft bridge with the female singer does kill the mood in its tracks. Then we have "Grab My Pen", which makes use of Brad's raspy lead vocals once again. Another speedy country-influenced number, guitars are really a secondary instrument here, so if you like the rhythm section, Brad and Mikey get lots of time to shine until Dave's solo, when things ramp up a little. Ends a little abruptly, but the last half will please rock fans moreso than the start!
The third "Laughing On The Outside" re-recording is next, namely "Screwed", which is the longest song on the "Black Album", despite the 2007 version being slightly shorter than the 2002 version was. Again, this doesn't reinvent the wheel from the original, with a very similar structure applied with better recording quality, but Dave's guitar solo comes off a lot better and less distorted this time! That alone makes a huge improvement for this folksy number with rocking choruses, so don't bypass it when listening! The last brand new song on this album is "Someone To Lean On", which is a fuller rock song with some southern flourish in the lead guitar. Strong track with a good melody and lots of stuff for everyone in the band to do, and it leans more towards punk than some tracks on offer while still having a rootsy influence, so it's a late highlight for fans, especially if you prefer Dustin on lead vocals!
The "Black Album" ends with one more re-recording from "Laughing On The Outside", that being "The Quest". Compared to the original, the 2007 version of "The Quest" is a little faster, but otherwise sticks close in structure despite the newer and better recording quality (the "Fire!" yells are better layered here also). Fun galloping punk number to close things, and it's well accentuated from the revision, so fans of The Inner City Surfers' punk side will get their fill to close! So, what are my final thoughts on The Inner City Surfers' last and biggest CD? While there are more punk-centric albums out there from the members in other projects, especially their prior self-titled album from 2000, this really showed off their genre hybrid sound to its maximum appeal, and it's a fun listen! Given that four songs are re-recordings, it's easy to write this off as just "Laughing On The Outside 2", especially as its predecessor "Time To Travel On" leaned more into punk than the Surfers albums that surrounded it.
The guys knew what sound they wanted to present, and it's a nicely refined sound that let them naturally play punk, folk, or country without it sounding out of place. Brad definitely got a lot of time to shine on vocals here, and his raspy grit was welcomed even if not generally used on punk songs, while Dustin's melodic singing fit those tracks better and kept things familiar on that level. Dave had some strong solos and lead guitar, and Mikey's drumming was great as always! "Getaway", (most of) "Lil' Shy", and "Someone To Lean On" were among my favourites of the new cuts, and while the re-recordings didn't change a lot, props to Dave for making his guitar solo fit better and more naturally on "Screwed" the second time around! I would have liked more punk than we got, especially as I'm not a big country fan, but the "Black Album" perfectly encapsulates The Surfers' mid-late 2000s peak!
This CD deserved the success, exposure, and accolades that it got at the time, so buy or stream it for yourself at the above links, and I hope you guys liked this month's CD review! For 2025, we'll have another new review to kick off the year in January, and while I don't yet know what album that will be, check next month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post for new possibilities. That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site very soon! Thanks everyone!
