It really was an underrated album - I just re-listened after like 4 years and it still is pretty good, only a few tracks I’d skip. The whole thing just feels natural, almost improvisational.
I introduced other people to it, and get similar reactions. It subverts expectations and grows on you.
Yeah, Nada Surf is really similar in a way to Superdrag; another record I just posted here. Both of them are definitely considered one-hit wonders by the standards of mainstream (Let Go, and Sucked Out, respectively), but both of them did their best work after that in comparative obscurity.
If you haven’t checked out the album after this, The Weight Is A Gift, that is arguably even better, though a bit more upbeat.
Great album. Putting this on my ‘what to look for when in a record store list’.
It’s definitely part of my “core” collection across all media. I finally had to bite the bullet and order it from discogs, and I’m just wrapping up my first listen on vinyl. Worth it.