AN INTERVIEW WITH SURF BORED
   A surf rock band and Pittsburg, Pennsylvania is a combination that you donât hear about every day. I had the pleasure of talking to the creator of the masterpiece album âSweet Dreamsâ, Ryan Hartman to learn more.
   The album Sweet Dreams was released on Oct. 1st off of the label Crafted Sounds. Hartman describes the album as being about âgrowing up and growing apart.â Each song explores the idea of adolescent angst, love, and the hard trials of becoming an adult. If the whole "adolescent angstâ thing throws you, youâll be glad to learn that this album is a 10 megaton blast of hidden meaning, subtle reference and searing lyrics.  The album is full of beach anthems, lo-fi rockers, and dreamy soundscapes.
The first song âBlack and Blue,â is an analog drift into guitar driven riffs that creates the vibe of driving down the beach. Â The lyrics haunt us with the idea of exiting adolescence into adulthood. The song explores the concepts of brushing infatuations, and the beating delivered by any lost relationship. The multiple backing vocals of âooâsâ and âahâs" disguise the lyrical of heartbreak in the chorus, by adding a happy tone to the pure frustration of teen love.
  âCatsâ is the most relatable song on the album. The opening line âI miss my cats more than I miss herâ is a phrase that I believe any cat lover will relate to. Hartman sings about trying to move on from a girl crush he has but simply canât because of her cats. Hartmanâs grasp on the nostalgia of past relationships is only made terrifying by the fact that he just canât simply move on from those cats. If âSweet Dreamsâ has a hat trick, this is it; we get a soundtrack for the breaking apart that comes with moving on in our lives, but itâs not shoved down our throats.  The musical depth and lyrical trickery hide the pain that drives this masterpiece and will haunt you in your dreams.
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I just want to say first and foremost that âCatsâ is my favorite song off of this album. Itâs so relatable and when I broke up with my boyfriend the only reason I still talked to him was because of his cat. Â
Ha, thatâs great! Since the album came out so many people have been talking to me and saying âCATS MAN THATâS THE SONG!â Itâs kinda surprising to me because I thought it was too personal. I remember when I wrote it and right away I was like âpeople are really going to dig this or theyâre really going to hate itâ. I guess cats are a universal language.
Ok, so Iâm from Pittsburgh, PA, well actually a small little suburban town called Beaver. When Iâm not making music Iâm a freshman at the University of Pittsburgh.
Whatâs the Penn influence on the album? Like you have the California 'beach punkâ so how does Pennsylvania influence your sound?
I donât know exactly. I guess for the most part living where I did just kept me pretty isolated until I came to Pitt a couple of months ago. I wasnât a part of any music scene, so I was in my own little bubble doing my own thing. And Iâm sure growing up in the suburbs affected me in some way and made my songwriting pretty relatable. Weâve all been to Taco Bell before, right?
What was the creative process with this album?
Making this album was very unusual for me because in the past I always worked really quickly. With my first EP, I did the whole thing, writing and recording, in a week. Sweet Dreams was a much longer process. Everything was ready to be recorded in February but it didnât happen until July. School got in the way and stuff like that. Plus, my drummer Joziah got into a really bad car accident and broke his leg, so I had to do all of the drums by myself except for âI Believe in Ghostsâ, which I did with him in August right before I left for school. Iâm bummed he didnât get to be a part of the whole album, but Iâm so glad heâs back to normal and playing drums again.
Whatâs with the ghost theme in the album?
I like to write about ghosts and phantoms because I think a lot of times we donât see things for what they truly are. Sometimes our perspectives are so different from reality and we donât realize it until we look back at old relationships or friendships and see all of the ugly parts of them that we never really noticed before. Ghosts and phantoms to me are representations of a past that seemed perfect at the time and the ugly reality that reveals itself. I donât believe in being practical and realistic all of the time, but sometimes no matter how bad you want something to be true, it just canât be.
Is growing apart the hardest part about growing up?
I would say so. Everybody experiences growing up differently but I think that was the biggest thing for me. The toughest part about growing up was realizing thatâs what is best for me and what I want to do with my life is different than what Iâve always known.
Whatâs in your most recent playlist at the moment?
This is always the hardest question for me to answer. My roommate and I consider ourselves members of the Church of Jim Morrison, so we listen to The Doors almost every day. I really love the new No Parents Halloween tape. Iâm hoping to sneak into their show in Pittsburgh next week. Also my friend Collin introduced me to Mike Krol pretty recently and heâs really awesome. He was featured on a Steven Universe episode not too long ago. Iâve been listening to a ton of Angel Olsen too. I got to see her live and it was a spiritual moment for me.
An artist/song/album that makes you feel a heavy dose of nostalgia?
Definitely the handful of albums I listened to nonstop when I started making music. Every time I hear the opening floor tom and snare drum beat to ââSo Boredâ by Wavves I feel like Iâm back in my bedroom. The Orwells do that for me too, especially âHalloween All Yearâ. Oh and the Pixies. Surfer Rosa was probably my most listened to album in high school.
Whatâs it like being a musician in the 21st century?
Iâm sure some musicians would complain about it but I have nothing negative to say. For me, itâs a blast. Technology allows me to be closer to my contemporaries and the people I admire. Without it, I wouldnât have some of the friends Iâve made. I think itâs nice that there can be a community beyond the community you live in. I talk to people from all over the world because of music and I think thatâs pretty amazing.
Whatâs in the future for Surf Bored?
Iâm trying to figure that out right now. My original intentions for after Sweet Dreams was to take a break for a bit and do a bedroom pop record. But then I started rehearsing for shows and song ideas kept coming to me, so now I really want to work on another release soon. Iâd love to do a 4 song EP or something and get it released on vinyl. As far as playing live goes, I think either around spring break or early summer Surf Bored will go on its first tour. Fingers crossed that everything works out and that can happen.
Where does the name Surf Bored come from?
When I was a freshman in high school, I was in a band called Water Trash with some of my buddies. That name was a reference to Workaholics. I threw Surf Bored around as an EP/Album title but then the band fell apart, so I just started working under that name and here we are now. Honestly I think the name is kinda awful but itâs almost so bad that it works.
How would you describe your sound in one word?
Whatâs your favorite song off of the album?
âI Believe in Ghostsâ or âPhantom Love.â âI Believe in Ghostsâ is more meaningful to me, though.
Itâs about a girl that I dated for about a year up until like a month ago. To me, it is about finding that idealistic love and then doing everything you can to hold on to it, even when it is doomed. After you experience something like that and it ends, the whole relationship feels so unreal and bizarre. Itâs definitely the song that captures the theme of âgrowing up and growing apartâ most completely.
LISTEN TO SURF BORED HEREÂ
interview by ATHENA BURTON
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