As a surfer and psychonaut of sorts, I was destined to fall in love with the Growlers’ grungy sound, which evokes sunburnt relationships, rainy acid trips and the smell of surfboard wax. At Outside Lands music festival, I became absolutely enchanted with the tattoo–speckled bunch from Costa Mesa, who are self-proclaimed ‘beach rats.’ My love for the California quintet transformed from casual to crazed when the Growlers announced their fall tour—with stops in Philadelphia. I knew I had to convince the band to come over to our humble abode in West Philly.
In a rather fortuitous turn of events, I stumbled across the bassist’s Facebook and asked him to come over for drinks after the show on October 4th.
To my surprise, bassist Anthony said they’d be there! With a caveat: could they bring the other bands they were on tour with? Our house was ecstatic. The Growlers all showed up to my place circa 3 AM, with the Cosmonauts, the Memories and Gap Dream all in tow. Needless to say, our Beach–Zombie–themed party fucking ruled.
In terms of how good their music is, The Growlers most recent EP, "Gilded Pleasures," showcases the band’s mastery of their signature cha–cha–meets–skiffle, reverb–doused sound. “Humdrum Blues” offers a brief glimpse of their ‘broke–ass life’ in Costa Mesa...which, honestly, doesn’t sound half bad.
Want to know what else you have to listen to?
