Ever since he was a young boy growing up in the snowy, small town of Wayland, Massachusetts, Carter Reeves was drawn to California. Ocean seascapes, palm trees, surfing, beach culture and the laid-back lifestyle captivated his imagination, while a steady soundtrack of Sublime, Slightly Stoopid, Bob Marley and the Dirty Heads played in the background.
So it comes as no surprise that Reeves is now the frontman of Surfer Girl and lives just minutes from the Malibu shoreline that the Beach Boys – the inspiration for his band’s name – once called home.
“I think I subconsciously steered everything toward: ‘how can I go play a ukulele on a beach somewhere for the rest of my life?’” he laughs.
Reeves is now doing that in his own way, channeling his youthful daydreams into Surfer Girl’s sun-soaked mix of indie-pop, reggae, surf rock and hip-hop that feels made for a lazy summer afternoon.
Surfer Girl began as an escape. During the pandemic, Reeves was in New England, writing in a “cold, dark, snowy basement,” with no expectations beyond making something that felt good. “It felt like the hamster wheel had stopped,” he says. “There was no clock. I could just make the kind of music I grew up loving.”
What started as escapism has since grown into a full-scale touring band, complete with management, packed shows and a new album on the way.
“The core hasn’t changed,” Reeves adds. “It’s just become more legitimate. It’s not just a fun idea anymore. It’s charting the course of my life.”
And while Los Angeles isn’t quite the postcard he imagined as a kid – he jokes that it can feel “like a glorified strip mall” – he quickly adds that it’s also “a perfect city because it’s got big-time industry,” with the co-writers, producers, videographers and photographers he needs all in one place, and surfing, hiking and skiing right there as well.
Surfer Girl is a fresh start for Reeves, but he is no stranger to musical success.
In his early 20s, he earned a Gold record and a national following as one half of AER, an independent pop-rap duo that broke out of the Boston area in the early 2010s.
Looking back, he says the biggest lesson from that chapter wasn’t about charts or streaming numbers, but perspective.
“My biggest regret was not sitting there and saying, ‘This is the dream. This is awesome,’” Reeves says. “So now I try to be a lot more present and actually enjoy those moments when they happen.”
He’s already had opportunities to put that mindset into practice – like when Surfer Girl opened for The Elovators at the MGM Music Hall at Fenway in Boston and he was looking out at a crowd of 5,000 fans.
“I’ll have those ‘whoa, I can’t believe this is happening’ moments,” Reeves says. “But then it’s like, cool –let’s go bigger next time.”
That balance between appreciation and ambition is shaping Surfer Girl’s next phase. The band’s upcoming album, due out in August, is “by far the best music that the band has ever put together. Also, just the most collaborative and fun record we’ve ever made,” Reeves says, noting it includes a track with Wiz Khalifa.
Santa Cruz will be among the first to hear the new music live when Surfer Girl plays Felton Music Hall on April 30.
The bill also includes Dylan Cotrone, who is gaining traction online and is described by Reeves as “gritty, southern-tinged, Florida-style reggae, hip-hop, pop,” and DOUBLECAMP, which he calls “an absolute party.”
Keeping that party going, audiences can also expect “a lot of high energy out of me,” Reeves says. “I will be sweaty and jumping around.”
The set is designed to move across the band’s full range – upbeat songs you can dance to, hip-hop-leaning tracks and what he calls the “feel-good, sunshine, summertime jams.” Reeves says the band really tries to showcase their versatility in live shows.
“It’s a place where you can let your guard down, have fun and not take yourself too seriously,” he says.
Reeves already has a connection to our hometown. He’s visited the Mystery Spot multiple times and doesn’t hesitate when asked about the landscape.
“It’s just a crazy magical place,” he says. “You can be up in the city if you need to, but then you’re tucked into the woods and 15 minutes later you’ve got world-class surf.”
Catch Surfer Girl April 30 at 8pm with Doublecamp and Dylan Cotrone at Felton Music Hall, 6275 Highway 9, Felton, CA, 95018. Tickets are $20. Show is 21 and up.
