Surfbort Is Stuck In This World and Making the Craziest Most of It with Reality Star

Dani Miller and Surfbort embrace raw reality with their latest album Reality Star, blending punk fury and playful chaos in a world gone mad.

An Unstoppable Dreamer in a Tangled Time

Dani Miller, the fiery frontwoman of Los Angeles-based punk band Surfbort, harbors a wild and impossible dream: hopping into a time machine to rescue some of her musical heroes. Not just any rock legends, but those forever immortalized in the infamous “27 Club.” Think Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, and Brian Jones — icons who burned bright and far too fast, their stories tragically cut off at the age of 27.

“I’m so grateful to be past the 27 Club,” Miller reflects with a mix of relief and gratitude. Born in 1993, she sees the milestone not as a curse but a victory. “If I get a time machine, I’m going to go back in time and get Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin. I started a new club at 27—I got off drugs, instead of dying. That’s what’s really helped my mental health and yeah, it’s obnoxious and sobriety can be annoying or boring-sounding, but it saved my life. So I’m like, thank God.”

This poignant confession opens a window into Miller’s soul — a grounded rock star navigating the chaos of life with wide-open eyes and an unfiltered voice.

Ghosts of Rock Past Meet the Madness of Today

When you dive into the new album Reality Star, you quickly realize Miller’s mind is a whirlwind of nostalgia, sharp wit, and raw honesty. Take the haunting track “Jessica’s Changed,” where she entwines the ghost of Kurt Cobain into a modern-day love story gone sideways:

“I’m falling deep in love with the ghost of Kurt Cobain / Sometimes I’m happy when I’m sad / I’m a sexy-ass bitch in a world gone mad.”

Miller’s inspiration? A series of wild relationships with “pirates” — chaotic souls adrift in madness or addiction. To cope, she imagined dating Cobain’s spirit, a symbolic stand-in for the collective insanity surrounding her.

“It’s not normal for this many people to be suffering and everyone watching it on TV. It’s just fucked up,” she admits. “A lot of my words are a mix between nostalgia, comedy, and real shit that we need to scream about basically—my bipolar thoughts.”

Boba, Black Dresses, and Punk Attitude on Sunset

I had the chance to catch up with Miller on a laid-back Sunday afternoon at Jellyman, a cozy boba spot in L.A.’s Silver Lake owned by none other than Donald Glover (aka Childish Gambino). The vibe was light, the music was thumping—like a 3 a.m. club scene squeezed into daylight—and Miller was perfectly at ease, dressed in a black dress bedazzled with an old Plasmatics poster, her red bangs and iconic cat-eye makeup sharp and unapologetic.

“It’s like 3 a.m. and we’re in the club,” she laughed. “We’re really raging right now.”

Her energy was infectious, and it mirrored the spirit of Reality Star — an album that’s both a wild ride and a candid confession.

Reality Star: Sobriety Meets Punk Rock Chaos

The album kicks off with “Lucky,” a fuzzed-out, feedback-drenched anthem that perfectly captures the dissonant beauty Miller lives for:

“I love it when you call me on the phone / And tell me that you saw a UFO / I love it when you cry and moan / Life is beautiful if you just let go.”

Miller explains the album’s title as a nod to classic reality TV icons like the Kardashians, Paris Hilton, and Lindsay Lohan. “Being sober is kind of crazy because you’re like raw-dogging life. You’re stuck in reality.”

That raw honesty pulses through every riff and lyric, a reflection of the post-pandemic world we all navigate — “post-apocalypse, post-2020,” she says. Yet despite the heavy themes, Miller insists on keeping the mood light and fun.

From Backyard Studios to Riotous Riffs

Unlike their 2021 album Keep On Truckin’, which was polished by Linda Perry and Dave Sitek, Reality Star is a more DIY affair. The trio of Miller, drummer Sean Powell, and guitarist Adam Laidlaw crafted the album in Laidlaw’s backyard studio, giving it a raw edge that’s unmistakably Surfbort.

Adam Laidlaw, also the album’s engineer, adds a vital layer to the sound. “He’s a really good engineer, so it was cool because me and Sean are both Pisces,” Miller jokes. “We’re both in the clouds, like, what’s going on? Even though we’re sober, we’re perma-fried, so we need someone to engineer it, shred on guitar, and bring it on home. So it’s been awesome.”

Songs like “Notorious Brat” carry the Pixies’ spacey guitar vibe, while “Rebel” rides a Ramones-style riff, featuring a catchy chorus gifted to Miller by Perry via voicemail. And then there’s “Hot Chicks Cold Beer,” a speedy 1:11 minute hardcore burst where Miller spits some street philosophy:

“I like to skateboard / I like to surfboard / And when you live a little / God knocks on your door / Face all my fears / Big trucks and no tears.”

Hot Dogs, Skate Parks, and Pure Ridiculousness

If you think punk can’t be silly, Reality Star’s “Hot Dog” throws that notion out the window. The band’s most danceable and goofy track came with a hilariously chaotic music video shot guerrilla-style across L.A. There’s a friend in a duck costume, a skater rocking a hot dog hat, and all the spontaneous energy you’d expect from Surfbort.

“What started as a serious women empowerment song morphed into just being ridiculous and having a blast,” Miller explains. “I wanted to have a party in the name of hot dogs. Who knows how this comes to me.”

From Brooklyn Roots to California Dreaming

Surfbort was born in Brooklyn in 2014, but Miller’s heart is firmly planted in Southern California. Her upbringing was a whirlwind of moves — from Long Island roots to the San Fernando Valley and finally San Diego, where she fell in love with live music at the Che Cafe. “I guess I would say I am from San Diego in a weird way, but I’m really from outer space,” she laughs.

The band’s lineup has always been fluid. Newcomer bassist Valentine comes from the band Fusion Babies, while longtime guitarist Alex Kilgore took a break touring to relocate somewhere outside the U.S. with his family. Miller embraces this ever-shifting crew with open arms:

“It’s just ’cause life changes… I just never want it to stop.”

A Timeless Bond with Punk’s Past

Drummer Sean Powell, a Texas punk veteran who’s been around since the ’70s and ’80s punk explosion, remains the steadfast backbone of Surfbort. “Me and Sean are art soulmates for life,” Miller says fondly. “He teaches me about punk music and all kinds of music. I started when I was 21 in the band. I didn’t know as much about music and he was like, ‘Here’s the music, say whatever crazy words and stuff you want on top of it.’ It’s been a good collab.”

Iconic Art and Signature Style

The cover of Reality Star features a striking painting of a warrior hippie goddess with a horse, created in the 1970s by Marie Covalt — drummer Sean Powell’s aunt. The artwork echoes the vintage illustration Covalt provided for Surfbort’s 2018 debut Friendship Music. Surrounding the goddess is a bold drawing of Miller’s signature eye makeup: upturned wings of shadow shooting past her eyebrows, a fierce cat-eye look reminiscent of Divine from Pink Flamingos.

Fans often arrive at Surfbort shows sporting the same makeup, a testament to Miller’s magnetic style. “I could do it in like five minutes, and it probably looks like that too,” she says with a grin. “I’m basically like a clown in a circus, and you gotta get your clown makeup on quickly.”

Surfbort’s Reality Star is a no-holds-barred punk explosion that captures the madness, joy, and heartbreak of living fully awake in a chaotic world. Dani Miller’s voice is a battle cry and a call to wild freedom — and frankly, we all need that right now.

FAQ

• What inspired the name Reality Star for Surfbort’s album?
  Dani Miller named the album after iconic reality TV personalities, emphasizing the raw, unfiltered experience of sobriety and living in “reality.”
• Who are some of the band members on Reality Star?
  The album features Dani Miller (vocals), Sean Powell (drums), Adam Laidlaw (guitar/engineer), and new bassist Valentine.
• What themes does Reality Star explore?
  It dives into punk rebellion, sobriety, mental health struggles, nostalgia, and the chaos of the modern world with a playful edge.
• How does Surfbort’s lineup affect their music?
  The band’s fluid lineup brings fresh energy and spontaneity, keeping their sound dynamic and ever-evolving.
• What’s unique about Surfbort’s live shows?
  Fans often mimic Dani Miller’s signature cat-eye makeup, creating a visually striking and communal punk experience.

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