Florida's Surfer Blood have written a hit song. I know this much to be true. When I first heard their song "Swim (To Reach The End)," I thought there was no way I heard it right. So I had to listen to those three-minutes and nineteen-seconds a half-dozen more times just to make sure. And, wouldn't you know, I heard it right the first time. That's a pop song as good as I've heard all year.

Not only does it have big time power-pop choruses sung so perfectly and harmoniously (a la Weezer), but it even manages to pack in a sick little noodling guitar solo that reminds me of Chicago indie rock right around 1994 (the circa I'm a sucker for). I'm also feeling a serious Cheap Trick vibe going on. And everyone knows that Cheap Trick kind of rules.

Oh, and about those harmonious vocals -- they're perhaps similar to Animal Collective in sound, but less "enigmatic" and way more "happy." Surfer Blood definitely aren't lo-fi (which is often a gracious term for people who can't play their instruments all that well). These dudes are pros. Boy, that song is good.

But anyway, these little musings of mine aren't meant to be song profiles. They're meant to be band profiles. Thankfully, self-ascribed arbitrary rules are made to be broken. That Surfer Blood song is a straight-up JAM. (P.S. Surfer Blood's other songs are pretty good too...). Oh and they list Flannery O'Connor as one of their influences . How good is that book "Wise Blood?" I'll answer; really good.

Surfer Blood play The Suffolk, on Thursday, October 22nd.