It’s hard to believe that Pacifico Deluxe is only Surfaces’ fourth album. 

The band composed of the duo Forrest Frank and Colin Paledecki has been meandering around in my Spotify for ages, and the fact that they’ve only been an established band for four years since 2017 is slightly astonishing—for me, at least. 

Following the albums Surf, Where the Light is, and Horizons, Pacifico Deluxe is another album completely distinct to Surfaces’ style. 

The motivation for this album release was the anticipation of their return to the music world, with their fall of 2021 “Good 2 Be Back” tour starting off on September 8th in Phoenix, Arizona, and finishing off in Madison, Wisconsin. 

Though Pacifico Deluxe only contains four new songs on its twenty-song list, I liked that I wasn’t overwhelmed with an overload of new music. I’d rather just have a few new songs to focus on as I listen to the other familiar tracks because it gives me the chance to really listen to the lyrics.

The rest of the songs were taken from Surfaces’ previous album: Pacifico. The music itself, however, is still very fresh, as it was just released in June of 2021. 

Adding these four new gems to their list is bound to strengthen their collection as they include collaborations with artists such as Thomas Rhett, Tai Verdes, Benny Sings, and Kid Indigo. 

The lead track in the Deluxe album, “C’est La Vie,” provides its listeners with an interesting feel of country meets beach vibes. Personally, I never would’ve guessed Surfaces would choose to pair up with any kind of country singer, but I have to say, they pulled it off well. 

The twang of country flare complemented the laid-back, steel drum beat quite nicely. I can’t say I’d encourage this as a permanent art form, but for this one musical exception, I can let it slide when it comes to critiques; however, this opinion could also be due to my lack of love for country music. 

Another strange element of this unlikely combo is that the name of the song is in French, meaning “that’s life.” 

Surfaces must not have explored all of their options before they landed on the idea of combining country, beach life, and a splash of French. The rodeo-wave theme was enough, but I think they should’ve stopped before throwing in an unnecessary third element. 

“June,” however, proved to be more my style; Benny Sings had the privilege of being the guest star featured in this song.

When they sang, “Another lovely day in June, the sun is shining down on you,” I found it to be cliche. It has a cute, lighthearted message, but the creativity is lacking all throughout “June.”

One element that keeps me listening to Surfaces’ music, despite how uniform and consistent it continues to be, is their unique lyrics that usually tell a story. 

However, I was not seeing that trait radiating through the song as I hoped I would. It had the potential to be a really heartfelt and summery portrayal of the months of summer but failed to deliver the creativity I was looking for. 

I know collabs with other artists are meant to combine unique sounds, but I did appreciate that Surfaces created “Famous” with Kid Indigo—an artist that actually possesses a similar sound that matched the vibe well.  

Unfortunately, once again, the lyrics lacked creativity, but the collaboration helped me overlook the repetitiveness. 

My feelings toward Surfaces’ new deluxe album, Pacifico Deluxe, are indifferent. 

I can’t say it’s anything special, even with the addition of four new songs featuring well-known, respected artists.