When I first moved to San Francisco, one of the first weekend trips I took was to Santa Cruz. There was this offbeat charm and likability to Santa Cruz that was as endearing as their vegetarian-friendly cosmic diner. It’s a sleepy beach town complete with all the real-life problems those types of towns have and, luckily for your listening pleasure, all the chillwave/dadwave music you could ever want. The latest and greatest form of the aforementioned is the Santa Cruz-formed, now Oakland-based Babewatch.

In 2013, members Peter, Chase, Eli, and Callum played several shows for UC Santa Cruz students and the like. Their brand of surf-rock shenanigans on stage connected with the Santa Cruz scene and carried over to Oakland over the past year. Babewatch has played shows and toured with Cool Ghouls, Tomorrows Tulips, and other bands of the same ilk.

Babewatch’s first album, Fiscal Spliff, about the financial effects of the weed industry was released in 2013. Fiscal Spliff has songs with that magic blend of surf, psych, and garage rock that lots of bands try to replicate but Babewatch’s Santa Cruz origins make their sound that much more authentic. Now, two years later the guys are touring in promotion of their EP, Guys Hanging Out. The 6 song release, on cassette and streaming on Bandcamp (link below), is sweetly packaged with charming lyrics and artwork, as well as that hard-to-replicate, relaxed beach town vibe.

Babewatch is playing Milk Bar with Summer Twins, be sure to catch these guys at this show!