South Florida’s own Surfer Blood has been pretty busy since the release of their debut full length, Astro Coast in January. The young, 20-something West Palm Beach natives are on the road again on their second full U.S. tour this year with The Drums, a poppy act out of Brooklyn with whom they’ve toured with before. And it doesn’t end there. They’ll soon follow Interpol through Europe come November. Frontman and songwriter JP Pitts was more than giddy to chat about Interpol and the recent jump to a major label. Although the band has outgrown their local beach boys status, they remain humble and their intentions seem as innocent as they were when they were making music on the salty warm shores of the East Coast.

REAX: So you’re touring with The Drums. How’s it going so far?
Pitts: Well, it’s only day six of the tour so it hasn’t been that long. This is our second full U.S. tour this year though. I’m happy to be with The Drums, they’re a bunch of nice and funny guys. So far all the people coming out to our shows seem really stoked. It’s been pretty chill and we’re looking forward to the rest of it.

We’re in Atlanta today (Sept. 15.) It’s a cool city, I wish we knew it better. We saw Public Enemy play at The Loft last night. It was sick. We’re playing there tonight, should be good.

REAX: So you guys have signed to Columbia Records. Pretty big deal. Why did you decide to make the jump to a major label?
Pitts: Yeah, we just made it official a few days ago. Our manager said it might be a good idea to sign to a major label to get better distribution. Right now you can only find our album at small independent music stores, but on a bigger label that’ll include other, bigger stores. Plus we’ll get a bigger budget for recording and stuff. It just makes sense. Plus we’re at the end of our contract with Kanine (Records) so the timing is good.

REAX: What do you have to say about your fans who may have mixed feelings about the jump to Columbia?
Pitts: We’re still the same band. We maybe on a bigger label with a bigger budget, but nothing’s changed. We’ve already been through the media circus about that though. Jesus Christ, fuck. This is a good thing.

REAX: So, we’ve heard some gossip about a line up change. Someone leaving?
Pitts: Brian, our bassist has been with us from the beginning. He just couldn’t do the touring thing nonstop for eight months. It’s a hard thing for anyone. I mean he told us basically that he loves us, but the band isn’t for him if touring is what it’s going to be about. We told him to take some time to think about it, take time off this tour and figure it out if it’s really worth it. Our friend Kevin is on this tour with us instead. He’s really stoked to be here.

REAX: Being from South Florida, you guys have played all the best venues in Florida. What are some of your favorite places to play in the state?
Pitts: Churchills in Miami has to be one of my favorite places to play ever. I played there with all my old bands and stuff. It’s such a dive-y place, not your typical Miami club. It’s kind of dirty and I like that. Club Downunder in Tallahassee is awesome too, I love that one.

We’ve never played Common Grounds (in Gainesville) or the Social (in Orlando) before, but we’re looking forward to it. I’ve seen a ton of bands I like at the Social before, so it should be good.

REAX: So what does the future look like for Surfer Blood? What’s next after this tour?
Pitts: Well, we’re going to Europe on tour with Interpol this fall. It’s our first ever big support tour. The first few Interpol albums I listened to growing up I thought were the coolest thing ever. I watched interviews with them and they seem like pretty awesome dudes. I’m really excited to finally meet them. I mean I guess they like us too. They select their own support and they contacted our booking agent. It’s really life affirming when someone you grew up listening to really likes the music you’re making.

As far as recording, I think we’ll do one last release with Kanine. Like an EP or something. Then we’ll see how things are going with Columbia. The way I see it is if we don’t like it there, they’re not going to like it either and they can always drop us or whatever. It’s like an experiment. We’re taking the resources available to us and just seeing if it’s going to be a good thing or not. It its not working out, both parties are going to know and that’s how it’ll go.

Florida tour dates:
Surfer Blood with The Drums:
Friday, Sept. 17 at the Social, Orlando
Saturday, Sept. 18, at Grand Central, Miami
Sunday, Sept. 19 at State Theatre, St. Pete
Monday, Sept. 20 at Common Grounds, Gainesville