Nada Surf Returns

October 12 -- After a protracted battle with its former label over its sophomore album, the once-"Popular" trio Nada Surf seemed destined to be candidates for VH1's Where Are They Now? But singer-guitarist Matthew Caws says he and his bandmates hope the long-delayed release of The Proximity Effect — the follow-up to 1996's High/Low and its hit single, "Popular" — will bring fans back into the group's camp.

"It does feel like starting over, a little bit — in a good way," Caws admits; The Proximity Effect is being released on the band's own MarDev label. "This is much more satisfying. Now, every time we get a little review, I'm much more thrilled. Before I didn't notice it that much; for the first album, it all happened so fast and in such a big way, a lot of it slid by. I'm glad to have both experiences."

Nada Surf had The Proximity Effect ready to go during 1998, but Caws says Elektra Records feared that the album wasn't commercial enough and began demanding that the group record more songs. The label ultimately released a single — which flopped — against the band's wishes, and never did put the full-length out in the United States, although it had a modestly successful run in Europe (where it was released last year).

After one demand too many for additional songs from its old label, Nada Surf put its foot down. "We said, 'No. … The record's done. What are you talking about?'" recalls Caws. "We had toured behind it a bit in Europe. We were proud of it. We liked the record the way it was and didn't want to change it."

After further dickering with Elektra, Nada Surf earned its freedom and was able to buy the record back from the label. The MarDev version of The Proximity Effect is the original album that the group wanted to put out, and Caws reports that the trio has "almost enough" songs for its third album, which it may begin recording this fall.