Kevin Bronson on December 18th, 2012

0

The Growlers have elevated contrarianism to an art, musically in their improbable marriage of goth and surf-rock and aesthetically in their adherence to a DIY ethic embraced by bands whose fans number in the dozens, not tens of thousands. Brooks Nielsen and Matt Taylor write songs like traffic cops give out speeding tickets, frequently and seemingly dispassionately. Often looking like costumed crazies, they have traveled the world and played Coachella while somehow staying under the mainstream’s radar. Much was made of the Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach producing the Growlers’ next album, but “Hung at Heart” (due Jan. 22 on Everloving) is not that record. At a sprawling 15 tracks, “Hung at Heart” is a made-in-Costa Mesa affair that current fans are sure to embrace. Nielsen’s vocals, sounding alternately like Johnny Cash’s whiny nephew, Elvis’ kid brother and a really high Dylan impersonator, wear thin over almost 50 minutes, but something in the band’s woozy psychedelia and country spine make the album the charmer. Recommended for fragrant parties everywhere.

||| Stream: “One Million Lovers”

||| Live: The Growlers play Dec. 20, 21 and 22 at Alex’s Bar in Long Beach, and Dec. 28 at the Fonda Theatre.

||| Previously: An underwhelming Coachella.