With a beach style surf rock that is catchy, danceable and contagious you would think that Two Wounded Birds generated their sound spending time on the warm and sunny beaches of California, not Margate, England. While not a world renown surfing spot, the beach community of approx 48 000 are somewhat celebrated on the EP Keep Dreaming Baby. The album is a kind of a tribute to summers spent surfing and hanging out at seaside; it is an admirable debut that shows promise of things to come.

Keep Dreaming Baby starts with the title track that has a good pace and a super melodic tune; catchy as hell with a soft but subtle Beach Boys motif towards the end. Just try and listen to that one once without having it permanently engrained in the subconscious. It’s the perfect classic surf tune with a modern edge. ‘My Lonesome’ maintains that great beach sound with some bluesy guitars, but the lyrics are a bit more melancholy. A wounded bird, after all, has reason to be sorrowful. The song is quite pleasing with a sad lead vocal juxtaposed amid the backdrop of beach dance boogie. ‘Summer Dream’ feels like it came straight out of California 1959 complete with a souped up Thunderbird and themes centred around “cruzin’, surfin’”. ‘Night Patrol’ would best best suited as a detective surf rock anthem with a mysterious melody to complement the twang of the guitars. The final track on the EP, ‘I’ll Come and Get You’ is a complete flip flop. There are no no drums, no boogie, no happiness, just revenge. The birds are really wounded on this one. The track starts with a suggestion to flirt with your mistress. “Side step your lover to commit your sin”. Slow tremolo on the glum guitars and an weeping rock organ dampens the mood established by the rest of the album. Personally, I would rather see retribution served amidst the sound of boogie surf, but that’s just me.

While the last song on the album leaves something to be desired, overall this is a great EP perfect for those summer road trips. Keep an ear out for this band; they have the potential to make big waves.