Surf 'N' Turf

There couldn’t be a better title than Surf N Turf for a split 7” between Portland, Oregon’s Guantanamo Baywatch and Nashville, Tennessee’s Natural Child. While Guantanamo Baywatch bask in the coastal traditions of surf rock, Natural Child deliver the backwoods boogie of the landlocked Southern interior. To be fair, there’s much more to GB than vibrato-soaked Mosrite guitars. The recent Suicide Squeeze signees offset their Dick Dale-styled twang with the trashy hybrid of garage punk and surf rock spewed out by The Mummies. Sure, “Raunch Stomp” is in step with the Ventures’ tremolo-picking tradition, but a song like “Love This Time” explains why the band spent time on the boisterous Dirtnap Records roster. Neither is Natural Child to be mistaken for mere good ol’ boy sons of Skynyrd. Though they’ve certainly got a knack for a country-fried ballad (as evidenced on “Don’t Wake The Baby”) or a sweetly stoned fuzzed-out lead on guitar, the trio are better suited for sharing a beer-soaked bar stage with fellow Nashevillians JEFF the Brotherhood and Heavy Cream than headlining the mainstage at the state fair.