One Track Mind

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Last year, San Diego act Crocodiles made a splash with their premiere release, Summer of Hate. Although it didn’t propel the band into blogosphere stardom, it did earn the duo its fair share of wowed listeners; among them were The New York Times, who praised their “pealing guitar distortion” and “efficient lo-fi landscapes,” fellow noise-pop hounds No Age, who deemed “Neon Jesus” one of the year’s best singles, and Simian Mobile Disco’s James Ford, who was so impressed with the debut LP that he signed on to produce its follow-up. That sophomore LP, Sleep Forever, is cleared for take off on September 14th via Fat Possum airlines and boasts the same mix of Primal Scream, Jesus and Mary Chain, and Spiritualized that made Summer of Hate such a winner.

Sleep Forever‘s title track offers a great glimpse into the band’s aesthetic, which involves swaddling big melodies in a cloak of subversive noise. It may not be the most original modus operandi but it is a time-tested one (see: all of the bands mentioned above).

For their new release, the group expanded from a duo to a full, five-piece band, a maneuver that has fortified their sonic layering. “Sleep Forever” feels like a Catherine Wheel song that has been dragged through the dirt, getting caught on pieces of glass and trash along the way–and if you’re anything like me, you’ll understand that is intended as high praise. The beauty of Crocodiles’ music shines through in their keen ability to let both elements, the noise and the melody, not only coexist but to buttress each other. These dichotomous forces shape one another without exerting dominance or becoming overwrought, the proverbial yin and yang, creating a song which never feels tame but is still eminently listenable.