Urge Surfer – Misnomers
Urge Surfer, the moody electro-pop project of Jordan Maelyn Smith and Chelsea O’Donnell, are back with their third release, a three-song EP they’re calling Misnomers. Continuing their trend of creating literate music with a well-thought-out thesis, Misnomers picks up where previous release Alphabet Archive left off. Where AA dove into themes of language and self-identity, Misnomers explores “how misunderstandings can lead one through the haze of heartache and awe.”
Smith and O’Donnell’s chemistry is on full display right from the get-go, as lead song “Responsible” dissects relationship ennui. Dark instrumentals become an immediate theme – more of a dirge than a melt-your-face single, “Responsible” pairs a gently-plucked acoustic guitar with bitcrushed electronic drums. O’Donnell’s one-of-a-kind vocal is set off by a feature by Sheena Ozzella of Lemuria fame – about as close to a Buffalo legend as you can get.
“Public Exits” gets a lot grittier – a sludgy bass feature takes center-stage here while whirling electronic maelstroms whirl around O’Donnell’s vocals. Traditional songwriting is out the window here; instead Urge Surfer embody their name as literally as they can, indulging whims at every twist and turn. The result is a squelching, industrial-tinged song that’s as inorganic as they come.
The duo wraps things up with “A-Line” – once again, Urge Surfer pivots 180 degrees into something completely new, pairing toy keyboard sounds with stand up bass to create something haunting, and nostalgic… Not unlike something you’d hear in a horror film. The three songs here span a wide sonic pallette – an indication that Urge Surfer don’t care about labels, or at the very least painting by numbers. We’re witnessing a project in continuous bloom. Who doesn’t like to watch/listen as boundaries get pushed, a bit, eh?
Misnomers is available as of September 30th, 2025. You can find all the different ways to listen to the project here.
Categorised in: Buffalo
This post was written by Nick Sessanna