« back

the summer hits - beaches and canyons (2016 rsd release) - medical records - vinyl

New Copy

Genre: Wave / Pop / Rock

1. Stony Creation
2. Honey Machine
3. Preference
4. Groovier Drugs
5. California Summer
6. Maximum Bum Ride
7. Away From The City
8. Modern Cinema
9. Beaches And Canyons
10. Sandy Hair
11. Thin
12. Laetitia
13. Lift Off
14. Spanish Films
15. Moto-Guzzi
16. Carmel Feelin'

In celebration of Record Store Day, Medical Records presents a reissue of a very special collection of singles by California�s The Summer Hits.

The Summer Hits formed in the early 90s hailing from southern California with roots firmly planted in the sun and sand. Taking influence from 60s psych rock and late 80s bands such as Loop and Spacemen 3, The Summer Hits (with the aid of copious mind-altering substances) forged their own brand of art-damaged distorted yet endearingly melodic fuzz pop. They released a number of 7� records on various small labels during the 90s picking up a west coast cult following before disbanding in the late 90s.

Their singles became almost nonexistent to find or at least painfully rare and expensive. In 1997, a comp of the singles was self-released on CD only but again quickly disappeared as well as a cassette-only release by Burger Records in 2012 (also impossible to find). Now, for the first time, this pecu-liar yet crucial compilation gets the vinyl reissue it so badly deserves. Though all the tracks have a definite DIY and lofi aesthetic, they are unmistakably mesmerizing. Take the opener Stony Creation with its distortion blowouts and delicate vocals. It really sets the stage for what�s to follow which is 16 tracks of brain-melting buzz. Other standout numbers include California Summer and Away From The City. As a special bonus, we have included a flexi disc including 2 tracks not included on the original compilation which were released on a 12� in 1999 (though recorded earlier). This collection is a an essential missing piece of a record collection by any fanatic of noise pop, psych rock, DIY, shoegaze or similar. After The Summer Hits, some of the members went on to play in other bands such as Further, The Tyde, and others.