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Urge Surfer, a duo of multi-instrumentalists made up of Jordan Maelyn Smith and Chelsea O’Donnell (of Stress Dolls) recently packed up a bunch of modular synths, acoustic guitars, and other gear, and headed out to rural WNY for “Urge Surfer Summer Camp.” The result of their isolation, the new/unfamiliar locale, and a weekend of collaboration is their new EP, Camp Club.   Releasing music is hard… and stressful… and often a labor of love. So this time around, the duo focused on something novel – having fun. The songs were finished up and released quickly, because that’s what making music is about – doing art with your friends so you can eventually create more art. The duo’s work with modular synths is absolutely their calling card, but it stays rooted in organic pop songwriting with the backbone of acoustic guitar. The EP kicks off with “Night Owl,” a pulsating slice[...]

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[...]

Buffalo electro-pop duo Urge Surfer are back with their take on a holiday mainstay, the John Lennon & Yoko Ono classic “Happy Xmas (War is Over).” Featuring singer Chelsea O’Donnell’s distinctive voice in the forefront; bandmate Jordan Smith’s tasteful backups; and a bevy of modular synths and percussion; this particular version of “Happy Xmas” is a delightfully fresh take on a well-worn standard. Born out of the innocent desire to just put out a Christmas cover, the duo pumped this out in just about a week, harnessing the ramshackle and jangly energy of the original and giving it a fun, electronic spin.   You can purchase Urge Surfer’s version of “Happy Xmas (War is Over)” via bandcamp (below) for a very reasonable “name your price” rate.   Happy Xmas (War is Over) by Urge Surfer