The Surfaris' first album of 1964 showcases the band's growth as a unit and, although lacking any 'hit' on the scale of 'Wipe Out,' still holds some genre and career highlights. 

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A reversed (?) shattering sound effect opens up 'Scatter Shield'; a very cool instrumental number that, while never quite making it to the prestige of their 'Wipe Out', is a strong original in its own right. Backed by the Honeys (who sang on the original version), 'Be True to Your School' features drummer Ron Wilson's fresh take on the Beach Boys' classic. Reminiscent of their number 1 hit, 'Mystic Island Drums' is almost solely a drum solo with simple electric guitar strums opening and bridging the track. 'Little Deuce Coupe' suffers from a noticeable lack of backing vocals despite being listed as having them on the back cover. 'Coming Home Baby' is another fine instrumental with that unique Surfaris sound. Probably the least enjoyable track on the album is 16-year-old guitarist Jim Fuller's lame rendition of 'Louie Louie', which seems out of place among the more polished tracks. 'Wax, Board, and Woodie' is an Usher-Christian composition that should be included up there with the best surf and hot rod compositions. 'Hiawatha' is also an excellent high-octane instrumental. The Ron Wilson-penned 'I Wanna Take A Trip to Islands' again features the Honeys on backing vocals and is one of the group's finest moments. 'Scratch' follows in step with the rest of the instrumentals filled with drums fills and that classic wet Surfaris guitar sound that never seems to get old. 'Sugar Shack' gets a simplified make-over, and 'Earthquake', although reminiscent of the band's previous instrumental material, nevertheless comes up with a fresh way of stating the familiar.

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Save for one embarrassing (yet forgivable) 'Louie' moment, Hit City '64 is a near-perfect summer album. While none of the tracks may have risen to the same level of success as their famous smash single of 1963, the Surfaris still manages to offer up one heck of an album. Not only does it represent the Surfaris at their musical peak, but it also holds up well 50+ years after its original release.