Nada Surf’s “Let Go” takes me away to a nice, warm beach off the sunny coast of California.

At this beach, I’m happily gawking at (not speaking to) the beautiful, bikini-clad women, all the while eating freshly grilled hot dogs.

Then I turn down the CD and I realize I’m stuck in DeKalb, and it’s 5 billion degrees below zero, with bikini bombshells nowhere in sight. I’m not eating grilled hot dogs, just the century-old fish sticks in the back of my freezer.

Damn you Nada Surf!

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Nada Surf is reminiscent of Phantom Planet in that sunny kind of way. “Sometimes,” its most miserable song of heartache and defeat, can be written off as a poppy tune.

Nada Surf, known to the general public for their sarcastic ’90s surprise hit “Popular,” still writes a fine album when musical peers, like Weezer, continue to pump out mediocrity left and right.

Standouts on “Let Go” include the poppy ’80s sounding “Hi-Speed Soul” and “Inside Of Love.”

“Inside Of Love” is a bassline driven ode to frustration. “I wanna know what it’s like/ On the inside of love/ I’m standing at the gates/ I see only the beauty above” sings Matthew Caws and Daniel Lorca, describing what life feels like on the outside.

The dancing drum beats of “Hi-Speed Soul,” doubled with the Kerouacian lyrics (It’s just you and me/ Let’s go anywhere), packs a strong, beatnik theme.

All is not sunny and blue in California, though. Songs like “Paper Boat” and “Killian’s Red” show a prettier, angrier, more introspective Nada Surf.

“Killian’s Red” is a slow-moving, guitar-driven folk track that crescendos into an overwhelming orchestra.

Nada Surf wraps up “Let Go” with “Paper Boat,” a sad, anti-climactic, stunning song.

Depressing lyrics like “Been thinking and drinking all over the town/ Must be gearing up for some kind of meltdown” show that some of those hot dogs, grilled on the sunny beaches of California, have a cold, raw, frozen fish stick flavor.