Nada Surf is one of my favorite bands. They love playing in the Netherlands — and have done so regularly in recent years — which means I’ve seen them five times since the pandemic, usually in Amsterdam, where they have a soft spot for venues like De Melkweg and Paradiso. But the most special show for me was right here in my hometown of Utrecht. Seeing my kids and the son of my best friend — by far the youngest in the crowd — throw their arms around each other and sing along at the top of their lungs to the band’s most well-known songs… that’s a kind of joy you never forget.

A few weeks ago, Nada Surf played at Paard in The Hague — another legendary Dutch venue, though one I don’t often visit. After a long day at work, I wasn’t really feeling up for it. It’s a bit farther than Amsterdam, and there were plenty of reasons to skip this one. But I’m so glad I didn’t. It felt like the band had something to prove, playing outside their usual Amsterdam stronghold, and the audience didn’t entirely know what to expect — I got the sense many were there just to hear Popular. They got that, sure, but the heart of the set was built around songs from their fantastic new album, Moon Mirror.

Matthew Caws is a great singer, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard him sing with such range and clarity as he did that night. When everything falls into place like that — and it really did — you realize just how powerful a deeply personal song like Mathilda can be. How behind their controlled, thoughtful sound lie beautiful stories and gorgeous guitar work. Nada Surf doesn’t go for big emotional gestures — they’re not flashy or showy — but on nights like this, you listen more closely and discover an intimate beauty you rarely find elsewhere.

And then, as if that weren’t enough, they played Cold to See Clear — a hidden gem in their overwhelmingly rich catalog.

This week, they announced two more Dutch shows, in Breda and Deventer, moving further away from the capital. Late in their career, Nada Surf is still winning over new hearts — and plenty more are sure to follow.