In Rotation: Night Birds - Mutiny at Muscle Beach

A lot of the song titles on Mutiny at Muscle Beach sound like they could be episodes of a cartoon show. "Son of Dad," "Left in the Middle" and the title track could engender outsized characters getting themselves into some wacky situations. Which makes Night Birds the out-of-frame but in-universe band ripping a diegetic soundtrack to our heroes' antics. Not to mention "King Kong" and "Golden Age of TV," which directly reference the screen.

Mutiny at Muscle Beach is a fast, fun ride through the waves. The band keeps the tone tongue-in-cheek throughout the album. "In the Red / In the Black," the title track and "Miskatonic Stomp" are heaviest on the surf front. The latter is an instrumental surf track, which is good news for fans of their all surf instrumental EP Monster Surf. This is the fourth full-length record from New Jersey's Night Birds and first full album on Fat Wreck Chords.

If you are into high enery music that does not take itself too seriously, this album is for you. Mutiny at Muscle Beach comes out on Friday. Stream the full album over at Impose. Catch Night Birds at Double Door this Friday with Dillinger Four and The Brokedowns. Watch the video for "Mutiny at Muscle Beach" below.