If
Jan and Dean
and
the Beach Boys
represent the clean innocence of beach culture, then the
Surf Punks
might be remembered as the pesky swamp monster living under the pier. Still snarling, sneering, and battling over beach space,
Locals Only
also lampoons shark attacks, fat chicks, lifeguards, and hated valleys -- at least seemingly in jest. Though most of the album treads the same shallow waters as
My Beach
,
"Spoiled Brats From Malibu I"
has an appealing early-
Cars
electro
-hook that bubbles with a
Jeff Spicoli
happenstance, and the silly
"Hey Mr. Lifeguard"
is doofy dialogue spoken over a plastic
reggae
beat. Quite absurd is a tearjerker cover of
"Sealed With a Kiss,"
that actually includes a sobbing girl and cops
Bill Murray
's sappy lounge singer act, until the joke finally erupts into a noisefest. Because the snarky attitude and haole humor eventually wears thin,
may pique the interest of So Cal coastal inhabitants, or '80s nostalgia buffs who wasted countless hours playing video games in arcades wearing checkerboard Vans. [
Real Gone
reissued the album in 2013 and added two bonus tracks: "I Got Gas" and "Hot Sand, Cold Feet."] ~ Craig Curtice