Crocodiles

With Wavves signing to Fat Possum it seems the door has opened for more feedback- and fuzz-soaked lo-fi to follow in his hype-filled footsteps. Though signed to the label at the same time as their fellow San Diegan, Crocodiles have somehow managed to elude a smothering by the press despite their history as members of post-hardcore spazzoids the Plot To Blow Up the Eiffel Tower. As Crocodiles, Charles Rowell (synth/guitar) and Brandon Welchez (vocals/programming) unabashedly exploit a serious '80s fixation using grimy production and feverish efficiency. It never feels very authentic, as they expel the same unruly noise as explicit influences the Jesus & Mary Chain on carbon copy anthem "I Wanna Kill," or get spiritual on "Sleeping With the Lord," a track that is so Spacemen 3, Pete and Jason should seriously reconcile purely to sue. But like the punks they are, Summer of Hate isn't about making some original statement; it's about being miserable and converting that emotion into something fun. To paraphrase the Reid brothers: everything's awesome when you're down.