Hype-haters give up.
I'm the first to admit my own high dose of dislike for "hype artists" and "buzz bands". Yes, I'm that person that will refuse to listen to a band/artist on the basis that their biggest piece of credibility is the overwhelming amount of coverage they've received. However, there are seldom times when bands do deserve their fast paced praised, and there have been times where I've failed to realized this due to my self-imposed "that person" conviction. In attempt to change this I decided to listen to Howler's debut album America Give Up. If you're not familiar with Howler, they're a 5-piece band from Minneapolis with Jacuzzi Boys' fuzz, Thurston Moore vocals, stylings of The Drums, and rhythms of The Buzzcocks and classic proto-punk bands. While many people have tried, it's hard to label them as "the next" anything, mainly because their influences are so all over the place.
The first few song's in America Give Up are a let down - for all the praise they've been receiving at least. They sound like a smorgasbord of every other indie post-punk/lo-fi/surf rock influenced band out there. But as soon as you reach "Wailing (Making Out) it's like "woah, where did this come from". While they don't abandon my prior description, the sound somehow evolves into a more mature and multifaceted piece of work delivering catchy tune after catchy tune. For the most part these guys deserve their hype, however there's still room to grow and if they do they'll be here to stay.
3 Songs Worth Listening:
- "Wailing (Making Out)" - First taste that they have more to give than the average indie post-punk/lo fi band. They explore further into their influences, and create a really good and catchy tune.
- "Pythagorean Fearem" - A little darker, a little harder, and a lot more Crampier than any of the other songs.
- "Back of Your Neck" - Nice surf guitar rhythms with a little Jerry Lee Lewis spunk, and 90s britpop back up vocals and melodies.
This album makes me want to: skip to "Wailing" and indulge in the sticky tunes of the rest of the album.
Other albums you would like:
- The Vaccines - Whatever Happened to the Vaccines
- The Drums - The Drums
- The Wombats - A Guide to Love, Loss, and Desperation
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