Skip to content
Premieres

Hear Jay Arner’s Lovely ‘Surf Don’t Sink’ Ride Synth-Pop Swell Into Garage-Rock Bliss

Jay Arner 'Surf Don't Sink' Stream

Vancouver’s Jay Arner has played in enough bands over the years to know how to sound like one when the job calls for it. After toiling in anonymity as a sideman and producer (working on records by Mount Eerie, Rose Melberg, and more), he’s stepping out with his fittingly titled first solo album& Jay Arner, which finds the man making every sound you’ll hear therein.

Due on Mint Records this summer, the 10-song set is made of analog synths, shimmering guitars, propulsive drums, and playful bass lines. But at the center of it all is Arner’s voice — a sonic smile capable of soothing highs and lovely lows. Below you’ll find “Surf Don’t Sink,” the very embodiment of a day at the beach, perhaps helped along by the ingesting of a mild psychoactive substance or two. The music itself shifts between garage-rock and synth-pop with surprising ease. This guy’s no hodad.