Beat Surf Fun

When ethnomusicologists of the future look back on the cult phenomenon that was twee pop, they need go no further for defining moments than "Twee," the opening track on Tullycraft's wonderful Beat Surf Fun: A catalog of icons and totems that includes nods to Sarah Records, 14 Iced Bears, and the Pastels' Aggi Wright, its quintessentially adenoidal vocals and manic strumming culminate in the rallying cry "You can keep your punk rock, ska, rap beats and house, f**k me I'm twee!" It's fitting that such a statement of purpose would originate with Tullycraft, one of the true pioneers of American twee pop and, as of Beat Surf Fun's 2002 release, one of its few remaining proponents. Between its fizzy lyrics, brittle guitar riffs, cheesy Casio keyboards, and primitive rhythms, the record seems very much out of touch with contemporary pop; its ebullience and innocence hark back to a time that now seems very long ago. But sometimes, nostalgia can be a breath of fresh air.