New Urge Surfer EP, ‘MISNOMERS,’ Rides a Wave of Daring Sonic Exploration

Urge Surfer (Photo by Jacqueline Csiga)

In listening to the new EP ‘MISNOMERS’ by the moody electro-synth pop duo Urge Surfer — the band’s third release — it seems an injustice at this point to keep referring to the group as “the side project” of lead guitarist Jordan Smith and frontwoman Chelsea O. of the Buffalo alternative band Stress Dolls.

Though factually accurate, there’s something about that term — ‘side project’ — that denotes a perception of somewhat lesser significance. And that’s precisely the problem we have with that term as it relates to Urge Surfer because there is nothing insignificant at all about ‘MISNOMERS,’ which drops on streaming platforms Tuesday.

The three-song EP is not only excellent; in our mind it marks the defining moment in which Urge Surfer steps out of the shadow of its ‘parent band’ and stakes its claim as a BAND that stands fully on its own. In other words, Urge Surfer deserves to be recognized not merely as that ‘other thing’ done by Jordan and Chelsea from Stress Dolls, but as a creative force in its own right making unique and meaningful music.

Birthed during the unsettling isolation of the COVID pandemic pause, Urge Surfer dropped it first release, ‘Reach,’ in 2022, and then two years later dropped the five-song EP ‘Alphabet Archive.’

From the start, it was clear Urge Surfer aimed to head in a direction that strayed far from Stress Dolls’ indie-rock sound. ‘MISNOMERS’ not only continues down that path but represents the band’s best work to date.

Lyrically, Urge Surfer is at the top of its game on this record, with wordplay that is as intense as it is vulnerable. Musically, meanwhile, the EP is more disparate — and daringly so — than the band’s previous releases.

The new EP’s first track titled ‘Responsible’ is ethereal, folksy and haunting. Track two, ‘Public Exits,’ is simultaneously bright yet abrasive, fusing an electronic-dance sound with dark industrial overtones. And the final song, ‘A-Line,’ is a sonic kaleidoscope, blending a trip-hop Portishead vibe with introspective, chill-inducing lyrics.

‘MISNOMERS’ also includes guest vocals by Sheena Ozzella of Lemuria, whose

appearance on the song ‘Responsible,’ Jordan and Chelsea note, represents a personal highlight for the band.

“I'm personally really proud of this release for a lot of reasons,” said Jordan. “We went about writing these songs in ways we haven't explored in the past; we collaborated with someone whom Chelsea and I both looked up to as younger people, and I think my ear as a producer has developed in ways that hopefully are self-evident to listeners.”

During a recent discussion with 1120 Press, here's what else the band had to say about ‘MISNOMERS.’

On the EP’s diverse musical range:

CHELSEA: “I like how each release with Urge Surfer has become more collaborative than the last. I think the biggest difference with MISNOMERS is that the songs weren't written in a 'linear' fashion, as compared to previous releases, where we created batches of tracks in a certain amount of time, thus making them part of a complete idea. MISNOMERS ended up working as a complete idea, but the songs were all written at different times and in different workflows. So, them blending as a cohesive piece felt serendipitous rather than intentional.” 

On the EP’s title, ‘MISNOMERS’:

JORDAN: “While our last release Alphabet Archive explicitly explored language as a means of self-exploration, this release felt less tied to personal identity and more intertwined with our relationships with both individuals and greater institutions. More specifically, I felt like language continues to be a cultural battlefield and the word misnomer feels like it encapsulates how each individuals' perception of our current reality is often misinterpreted or misrepresented, sometimes purposefully, sometimes not.”

On the songs’ subject matter and lyrics:

CHELSEA: “There are common threads in the lyrical themes, one of the primary ones being ‘responsibility.’ I suppose that's somewhat obvious, seeing as the first song on the record is literally titled ‘Responsible.’ (That song) is about an interpersonal relationship in my life, one where I felt like I owed my attention and love toward an individual and, yet, at the same time, felt drained and wasn't sure I wanted to. The words in ‘Public Exits’ were primarily written by Jordan, detailing her frustration in her work life. Although I wrote the lyrics to ‘A-Line,’ the lyrical idea toppled out of my head because Jordan's name of the instrumental track was ‘A-Line,’ and we've since discussed how, with that song and within this project, there's a sense of responsibility to each other to convey what is unsaid. I especially feel that when I'm assigning my words to Jordan's music. I feel like the music on each track complements the lyrics really well.” 

On collaborating with Sheena Ozzella:

JORDAN: “These songs also came about in such different ways. I had originally titled the demo file for ‘Responsible’ as ‘backwards construction’ because we worked on this track in the opposite order than we had in the past, meaning Chelsea sent me an acoustic demo of what would become ‘Responsible,’ and I built out the rest of the track with drum machines and synths. Then she came over, and we tracked some bass and electric guitar before laying down the vocals. It was a really quick and intuitive production, but months later we had the idea of asking Sheena Ozzella of Lemuria if she would be interested in contributing a guest vocal to the song. She had recently moved back to Buffalo after some years away and it just happened that our social circles began to overlap. We both loved her voice and her work with Lemuria, and felt honored when she said ‘yes.’”

CHELSEA: “It was special because I had expressed to Jordan before that my dream as a songwriter was to have access to production where you could write something and then have a finished piece within 24 hours, like what Taylor Swift does (laughs). ‘Responsible’ came together in just about 48 hours, minus Sheena's contribution, and during the process I think we both felt that it was evidence of how much fun it is to collaborate and create, regardless of the outcome. Even if no one had ever heard the song, to have it come together so seamlessly was a creatively grounding experience and brought back to mind why we enjoy doing this so much in the first place.”

On collaborating with one another in Urge Surfer:

CHELSEA: “Our collaboration and friendship solidified via email, and we have an absurd amount of chains and messages exchanged. A couple of years ago, Jordan created a chain titled ‘Alphabet Archive,’ where she sends over poetry she writes so that I have a goldmine to dig through if I'm not feeling my own lyrical ideas. I utilized that chain for ‘Public Exits.’ I think I just added a couple of lines for rhyming's sake, but basically all the words are hers. The instrumental has such a strong presence from the top and gives off the air of pent-up frustration; it felt like the perfect accompaniment to those lines.”

JORDAN: “Production-wise, ‘Public Exits’ feels most in line with some of our previous work, while ‘Responsible’ and ‘A-line’ are a bit more sonically exploratory. ‘A-Line’ came out of the fact that I was gifted an old iPad, which it turns out makes for an excellent music making tool. There are so many inventive and affordable instruments, recording tools, and sequencing options that become available with access to an iPad. ‘A-Line’ ultimately came out of an exploration of sequencing and the haunting sounds you can conjure from vintage Wurlitzers. Chelsea perfectly matched the vibe with her vocal approach, and I was so, so pleased with the simplicity of the song as a whole. I think simplicity in songwriting is both extremely hard to do well and takes a certain amount of self-confidence to embrace as an artist, and I personally often struggle with allowing simplicity to sit center stage.”

CHELSEA: “Ultimately, I'm so excited to share these songs. I feel like this release opened more doors for us as collaborators and I look forward to whatever it is we work on next.”