| High/Low | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 18, 1996 [1] | |||
| Recorded | December 1–20, 1995 | |||
| Studio | Electric Lady, New York City | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock, power pop | |||
| Length | 36:31 | |||
| Label | Elektra | |||
| Producer | Ric Ocasek | |||
| Nada Surf chronology | ||||
| ||||
High/Low is the debut studio album by the American band Nada Surf, released in 1996. [2] [3] It contains the hit single "Popular". [4] High/Low was produced by Ric Ocasek. [5] Nada Surf supported it by touring with Superdrag and the Gravel Pit. [6]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [7] |
| Chicago Tribune | [8] |
| Christgau's Consumer Guide |  [9] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [10] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B− [11] |
| Pitchfork | 7.4/10 [12] |
The Baltimore Sun noted that "there's an almost elegant austerity to the album's sound, but what ultimately brings the songs into focus is the band's ultra-efficient playing, which is so sparing you'd think the recording studio charged them by the note." [13] The Ottawa Citizen concluded that Nada Surf "may have been moulded by a superior studio presence, but the root of their sound, guitar-driven and heavy on the backbeat, speaks of an energy that was harnessed and focused, not manufactured." [14]
All tracks written by Matthew Caws and Daniel Lorca, except where noted.
Nada Surf
Production
Album
| Year | Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Billboard 200 [15] | 63 |
Singles
| Year | Song | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | "Popular" | Billboard Modern Rock Tracks [16] | 11 |
Nada Surf is an American alternative rock band formed in New York City in 1992, consisting of Matthew Caws, Ira Elliot (drums), and Daniel Lorca.
The Cars were an American rock band formed in Boston in 1976. Emerging from the new wave scene in the late 1970s, they consisted of Ric Ocasek, Benjamin Orr, Elliot Easton, Greg Hawkes (keyboards), and David Robinson (drums). Ocasek and Orr shared lead vocals, and Ocasek was the band's principal songwriter and leader.
The Cars is the debut studio album by American rock band the Cars, released June 6, 1978 by Elektra Records. The album was produced by longtime collaborator Roy Thomas Baker, and spawned several hit singles, including "Just What I Needed", "My Best Friend's Girl", and "Good Times Roll", as well as other radio and film hits such as "Bye Bye Love" and "Moving in Stereo". The Cars peaked at number 18 on the US Billboard 200 album chart, and has been certified 6x platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Richard Theodore Otcasek, known as Ric Ocasek, was an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He was the primary vocalist, rhythm guitarist, songwriter, and frontman for the American new wave band the Cars. In addition to his work with the Cars, Ocasek recorded seven solo albums, and his song "Emotion in Motion" was a top 20 hit in the United States in 1986.
Candy-O is the second studio album by American new wave band the Cars, released on June 2, 1979, by Elektra Records.
Panorama is the third studio album by American new wave band the Cars, released on August 15, 1980, by Elektra Records. Like its predecessors, it was produced by Roy Thomas Baker and released on Elektra Records.
Shake It Up is the fourth studio album by American new wave band the Cars, released on November 6, 1981, by Elektra Records. It was the last Cars record to be produced by Roy Thomas Baker. A much more pop-oriented album than its predecessor, its title track became the band's first Billboard top-10 single. Spin magazine included it on their "50 Best Albums of 1981" list.
Heartbeat City is the fifth studio album by American new wave band the Cars, released on March 13, 1984, by Elektra Records. This marks the band's first album not produced by long-time producer Roy Thomas Baker, instead opting to produce with Robert John "Mutt" Lange. Considered a "comeback" album for the Cars, Heartbeat City represented a return to the success of the band's self-titled debut album.
Greatest Hits is a greatest hits album by American rock band the Cars, released on October 25, 1985, by Elektra Records. "Tonight She Comes", a previously unreleased song, and a remix of "I'm Not the One" were issued as singles to support the album. It was a commercial success, going six-times platinum.
"Shake It Up" is a song by American rock band the Cars from their fourth studio album of the same name (1981). It was released on November 9, 1981, as the album's lead single. Although appearing for the first time in 1981, it was actually written years earlier by the band's songwriter and lead singer Ric Ocasek. The song became one of the Cars' most popular songs, peaking at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 and number two on the Billboard Top Tracks chart in early 1982. With the track "Cruiser" as its B-side, it reached number 14 on the Billboard Disco Top 80 chart.
Troublizing is an album by Ric Ocasek, released in 1997.
Lucky is the fifth album by alternative rock band Nada Surf. It was released on Barsuk in 2008.
"Magic" is a song by American rock band the Cars from their fifth studio album, Heartbeat City (1984). It was released on May 7, 1984, as the album's second single, reaching number 12 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Billboard Top Tracks chart. The track was written by Ric Ocasek and produced by Robert John "Mutt" Lange and the Cars. Ocasek sang lead vocals.
The discography of Nada Surf, a New York-based alternative rock group, consists of nine studio albums, thirteen singles and one extended play (EP). Nada Surf was formed in 1992 and consists of Matthew Caws, Daniel Lorca, Ira Elliot, and Doug Gillard.
"Popular" is a song by American alternative rock band Nada Surf, released as the first single from their debut album, High/Low (1996), in May 1996. Each verse in "Popular" presents, in spoken-word format, sarcastic advice to teenagers taken from the book Penny's Guide to Teen-Age Charm and Popularity by American actress Gloria Winters.
"My Best Friend's Girl" is a song by American rock band the Cars from their 1978 self-titled debut album on Elektra Records, released on June 6 of that year. Written by Ocasek as a song about something that "probably ... happened to a lot of people," the track found radio success as a demo in 1977.
If I Had a Hi-Fi is the sixth studio album by American alternative rock band Nada Surf. It was released on June 8, 2010, on Mardev Records. It consists only of covers chosen by the band members themselves.
"Stay the Night" is the debut solo single by the Cars co-lead vocalist and bassist Benjamin Orr, released in late 1986 from his debut solo album The Lace. The song reached No. 24 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, as well as #2 Adult Contemporary, in early 1987, becoming Orr's only top 40 hit as a solo artist.
The Stars Are Indifferent to Astronomy is the seventh album by alternative rock band Nada Surf. The album was released by Barsuk Records on January 18, 2012, in Japan, January 23, 2012, in Europe, and January 24, 2012, in the United States. It is their first album of original material since 2008's Lucky.
You Know Who You Are is the eighth studio album by alternative rock band Nada Surf. It was released on the Barsuk record label on March 4, 2016.
