05-05-2026, 09:08 PM
I recently heard someone refer to the 1990's as "the late nineteen hundreds" and I really hate that, even though it's technically correct.
When this album came out, the only thing I knew about Nada Surf was their song "Popular." Feeling awkward in my teenage years, I don't think I realized the intentional irony of the song, and so I associated the band with the kinds of cool kids that I felt intimidated by.
But The Proximity Effect immediately resonated with me. My musical literacy had improved a bit, and I could read the content more clearly. I am still transported back to the road near my parents home, driving in the dark of winter with my friend and jamming this CD whenever I hear "80 Windows." And it's pretty impressive that in 1998 there was a fairly popular artist speaking out about sexual assault ("Mother's Day" and "Robot"). The guitar tones are the baby-bear porridge of grit and clarity: everything just right, to my ears. As a young guitar player trying to find my sound, this album was really influential. Plus, TWO hidden tracks! Wow! And the last track, "Spooky", still has one of my favorite breakdowns ever, right before the second chorus.
This album put me on a 10-year streak of looking forward to the next Nada Surf record. I didn't click so much with their covers album in 2010 and let my enthusiasm wane in more recent years, but The Proximity Effect still holds up.
When this album came out, the only thing I knew about Nada Surf was their song "Popular." Feeling awkward in my teenage years, I don't think I realized the intentional irony of the song, and so I associated the band with the kinds of cool kids that I felt intimidated by.
But The Proximity Effect immediately resonated with me. My musical literacy had improved a bit, and I could read the content more clearly. I am still transported back to the road near my parents home, driving in the dark of winter with my friend and jamming this CD whenever I hear "80 Windows." And it's pretty impressive that in 1998 there was a fairly popular artist speaking out about sexual assault ("Mother's Day" and "Robot"). The guitar tones are the baby-bear porridge of grit and clarity: everything just right, to my ears. As a young guitar player trying to find my sound, this album was really influential. Plus, TWO hidden tracks! Wow! And the last track, "Spooky", still has one of my favorite breakdowns ever, right before the second chorus.
This album put me on a 10-year streak of looking forward to the next Nada Surf record. I didn't click so much with their covers album in 2010 and let my enthusiasm wane in more recent years, but The Proximity Effect still holds up.
