Nada Surf is an American alternative rock band formed in New York City in 1992, consisting of Matthew Caws (guitar, vocals), Ira Elliot (drums), and Daniel Lorca (bass, backing vocals). After initially operating under the name Helicopter, Caws and Lorca switched to Nada Surf. In 1995, Ira Elliot joined on drums, and they met Ric Ocasek, former frontman of the Cars, who produced their debut album, High/Low, in 1996. Despite experiencing significant success with their single "Popular" and touring extensively, their follow-up album, The Proximity Effect, was not well received by their record label, Elektra, resulting in the band being dropped, and they self-released the album. Throughout the early 2000s, members worked regular day jobs while continuing to create music, leading to the release of the critically acclaimed album Let Go, in 2002. Their subsequent albums included The Weight Is a Gift (2005), Lucky (2008), the covers album If I Had a Hi-Fi (2010), and The Stars Are Indifferent to Astronomy (2012). They issued their eighth studio album, You Know Who You Are, in 2016, and followed it with Never Not Together in 2020.