Editing Nada Surf (section)

===1990s===
Nada Surf was formed in 1992 by Matthew Caws and Daniel Lorca. They originally went by the name Helicopter but later changed it to Nada Surf, which Caws said is "actually referring to something much more existential, it's just surfing on nothing. Being lost in your head or in your imagination but you know, whenever I listen to music I always find myself off somewhere. Somewhere in space. You know, in mental space and it's a reference to that."<ref name=Toazted-mp3>{{cite web|title=Nada Surf Interview|url=http://www.toazted.com/player.php?mp3id=1096|work=Toazted.com|access-date=October 31, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060604214017/http://www.toazted.com/interview/699/Nada-Surf.html|archive-date=June 4, 2006|format=Audio interview|date=July 2005}}</ref> Caws and Lorca met at the [[Lycée Français de New York]]; both spent some of their childhood in France and [[Belgium]], and played in many bands, including the Cost of Living and Because Because Because. Their first drummer, Daniel (later alluded to in the song "The Plan", from the album ''[[High/Low (Nada Surf album)|High/Low]]''), was replaced by Aaron Conte, with whom the band recorded their first 7", ''The Plan/Telescope'' (1994), as well as the demo tape ''Tafkans'', the raw version of ''High/Low''. Those raw versions were later released on their second 7", ''Deeper Well/Pressure Free'' (1995), on the EP ''[[Karmic (EP)|Karmic]]'', and on ''North 6th Street''.

In 1995, Conte left the band and was replaced by [[Ira Elliot]], former drummer of the [[Fuzztones]], a band from the 1980s [[New York City|New York]] scene, and of whom both Caws and Lorca were fans. After a [[Blonde Redhead]] show at the [[Knitting Factory]], Nada Surf met former [[The Cars|Cars]] frontman and [[Weezer]] producer [[Ric Ocasek]].<ref name="cawsoc">{{cite web |last1=Caws |first1=Matthew |title=The Time Ric Ocasek Helped My Band Make Its First Record |url=https://www.npr.org/2019/09/18/761688937/the-time-ric-ocasek-helped-my-band-make-its-first-record |website=NPR.org |access-date=September 18, 2019 |language=en}}</ref> With little hope, they presented him with a copy of ''Tafkans''. Three weeks later, Ocasek called back with news of his intention to produce the album.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |last1=Lindsay |first1=Cam |title=Rank Your Records: Matthew Caws Orders Nada Surf's Records |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/rank-your-records-nada-surf-matthew-caws/ |website=Noisey |date=December 10, 2015 |access-date=September 17, 2019}}</ref> Soon after, the band was finalizing a contract with [[Elektra Records]] through an executive, [[Josh Deutsch]].

On June 18, 1996, they released their debut album, ''[[High/Low (Nada Surf album)|High/Low]]'', which was recorded and mastered within a nineteen-day period.<ref name=":0" /> Prior to this, the band released ''Karmic'' on No. 6 Records, a label run by Elektra A&R head [[Terry Tolkin]]. That summer, as Nada Surf toured the United States with [[Superdrag]], their song "[[Popular (Nada Surf song)|Popular]]" became a summer anthem, and the band toured overseas.

In 1998, they released ''[[The Proximity Effect (Nada Surf album)|The Proximity Effect]]'', their follow-up album, in Europe. Produced by [[Fred Maher]], the album gained little commercial success in the US. Their record label, thinking the album lacked a hit like "Popular", had the band record several covers, including "Black & White" ([[The dBs]]) and "Why Are You So Mean to Me?" ([[Vitreous Humor (band)|Vitreous Humor]]), to use as singles. Tired of the requirements of the A&R director, the band judged the album was perfect as-is (even though Elektra suggested the inclusion of an acoustic version of "Popular"), and broke their contract. As a consequence, Elektra did not release the album in the US and dropped the band while they were on a promotional tour in Europe. Despite these events, this album was critically acclaimed in France, where the band did a 30-show tour the following year.<ref name=DallasObs-SpinalTap>{{cite news|last=Freedman|first=Pete|title=Q&A: Nada Surf's Matthew Caws Wishes His Band Was Spinal Tap. Also: Another Giveaway!|url=http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/dc9/2008/11/qa_nada_surfs_matthew_caws_wis.php|access-date=October 31, 2013|newspaper=Dallas Observer|date=November 19, 2008}}</ref>