Tag Archives: San Diego

CROCODILES: Degeneration.

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It has finally happened! Crocodiles have FINALLY dropped some new material which means- a new record is coming! 7th April to be precise kids! It’ll be released via Lolipop records, and the first single from the record- Degeneration is a perfect introduction to their new record.

If you’ve ever read anything I’ve written, you’ll know just how much I love and adore this band. They are a band that have been there for all the good and bad. A band that just know how to constantly create masterpieces. Underrated and exceptional. I just love love them.

Degeneration picks up where 2019’s Love Is Here left off (not including the covers record they put out in 2021!) Their new record will be their 8th full length record (again, not including the covers record but you can if you want!) Even though it picks up from Love Is Here, I can hear some of their early sound in this song- that rugged and distorted sound; the sound that I fell in love with many, many years ago. They have such a distinctive sound and style, and that applies vocally too. They’re a band that just make everything alright. Their poetic lyrics are timeless and their sound is how you’d want your dream band to sound.

The video to Degeneration is simple but you’ll also see Brandon and Charlie’s faces melt. I reckon that’s a strong sign for how great the new record will be- it’ll melt our faces off. I cannot wait! It’s only 2 months to go, but in the meantime- I’ll be keeping Degeneration on repeat.

Check out the video below:

Upside Down In Heaven will be released on the 7th April via Lolipop Records.

WAVVES: Hideaway

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Wavves: Hideaway Album Review | Pitchfork

Nathan Williams is underrated. Wavves are underrated, and it’ll be a crime if the new Wavves record, Hideaway is overlooked.

Is it the best Wavves record to date? Quite possibly. I’ve still got a lot of sentimental attachment to King Of The Beach and Wavves, but there’s something about Hideaway that just really hits you. Maybe it’s the opener Thru Hell that really makes you feel like you’ve been turned onto something truly great, or maybe it’s because you know that Nathan is just incredible at what he does, and let’s be honest- there’s no such thing as a bad Wavves record. This is their seventh record, and maybe it’s because a few years have passed between records but Hideaway has something about it that just calms you. It soothes that part of your brain that just will not shut the fuck up. It’s hard work carrying that around, but Wavves lighten that load. Always have, always will.

I know the record came out just over a month ago but no part of me has wanted to write about anything. It happens from time to time; and I think it means my brain needs re-setting. I’ve been playing Hideaway every single day since it came out, and it’s been a lifeline. I don’t think any record of late has done that, but I’ve noticed most Wavves records have this grip on me.

Hideaway may only be a short record, but with these 9 songs the band give you everything you need and more. Every song on this record will move you in all kinds of ways. When I first played the record in full, I was just blown away with the growth in the Wavves sound. To really appreciate this record, go back and listen to previous Wavves records and give yourself plenty of to soak up Hideaway. The record opens with Thru Hell, and I know it’s super cliched but it’s the one I keep going back to. It’s the one I play the loudest, and I LOVE the line “Can’t talk now, I’m goin’ through hell. Can’t see straight, I don’t feel so well.” Just something about that line that just speaks to me a lot. The song is made to be played loud, that’s for sure.

Aside from Thru Hell quite possibly being one of my favourite songs of the year, the record is made up of anthems that you cannot help but scream along to. Help Is On The Way right through to Planting A Garden, the record just really speaks to you. If you’ve never listened to Wavves before then of course, you’ve been missing out but Hideaway is a mighty fine place to start. Be pretty cool to hear someone’s thoughts on playing this record then go backwards into Wavves records. Wherever and however you start, you’ll probably keep coming back to Hideaway. It’s got a real safety net feel to it, and I love how Nathan can put out records that just speak to how I’m feeling/how I’ve felt time and time again. That’s when you know you’ve found a band to really cling to.

For the foreseeable, I’m probably going to keep on playing Hideaway at least 5 times a day and just getting totally lost in it. There’s a hell of a lot to love about this record, and yeah it’s a damn shame we may not get a UK tour out of this. I can only imagine what this record would be like live. There’s tender moments on the record (Caviar) and there’s parts where you just feel like the song was written for you (Honeycomb.) It is just a divine record, and one I know, like all Wavves records- I just won’t ever get bored of it.

DRUG HUNT.

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Right from the mean streets of San Diego and right into your ears are a band called Drug Hunt. Looking the band name up may lead to weird results, and probably things that aren’t safe for work but when you get to what you want, you fast realise you’ve stumbled upon a band you have no idea how you made it this far without.

If like me you are madly in love with bands like Melvins, OM, Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, Bambara- then you’re going to be really excited over Drug Hunt. Their sound is heavy, brutal, dark and poetic. They have such a unique style that just blows you away with every listen. Their self-titled EP consists of 4 songs that will twist and turn their way into your mind, corrupt your soul and leave you feeling very strange afterwards. Nothing will feel the same afterwards. Initially I wanted to focus on the EP but the more I listen to their music, the more I’m inclined to basically write a love letter to the band.

Drug Hunt have a heavy Psychedelic sound, and they have that Jim Morrison poetic feel to the vocals/lyrics. Imagine if Jim Morrison was still alive and joined the Melvins. That’s basically Drug Hunt but my analogy doesn’t do the band justice at all. The Tower is about 6 and a half minutes long, and it then slides into the euphoric 5-minute wonder that is, The Well. The EP is beautifully crafted, and the way the songs flow into each other is mesmirising. The songs were made for you to escape deep into, to just ignore reality and go right into their world.

The songs on this EP are mighty and deafening. They are beautifully terrifying; you cannot help but keep going back for more and more. Their sound is everything I want from music- it is uncomfortable and leaves you on edge. I don’t want something to make me feel safe, I want to listen to something that makes me feel a little bit on edge. Drug Hunt do this in such a grand way. Another band that remind me of this are Italy’s finest, Sonic Jesus. Sometimes it is the uncomfortable sounds that provide the most comfort, and you definitely get this from Drug Hunt.

The five of them in this band all play a vital part in messing with your head in the most wonderful way imaginable. The guitar on The Altar for the last minute or so will make you want to weep it is THAT good. There’s a lot of heart and soul in this band, and it comes across so perfectly on the EP. It’s a real joy to listen to, and to just get totally wrapped up in. I love bands that aren’t scared to push themselves, and I love when they do that to the listener- exposing them to new sounds too, and really pushing what they thought they knew.

Drug Hunt are nothing short of exceptional, and although we may only have so far, a handful of songs, there’s absolutely no telling what will happen next. They truly take the listener on a mind-bending journey with their music, and right now, we probably need that.

TEENAGE BURRITOS

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I am hugely late on writing about Teenage Burritos, but now is the right time.

Teenage Burritos, aside from having a great name, make the kind of music that I just adore. They sound like The Shangri-Las with instruments. They are just one of the most exciting bands who make this style of music, and anything that resembles 60s Girl Groups is totally fine with me. They are one of the best bands I’ve heard from the West Coast in a while, and I wish I wrote about them sooner than this. I’ve missed out way too much.

The band make songs that make the cold days warmer, and if you’ve never had your heart ripped out before- they’ll make you feel like you have, because hey- no one likes to be left out. Teenage Burritos make songs for you to play super loud in your bedroom and just yell the words back at your speakers. They’ll make you want to throw your limbs about in whatever way you wish. They’ll make you feel as if some of the songs were written for you. I love that they sound like the Ramones mixed with Best Coast and The Crystals. Basically, my ideal sound.

Earlier this year they released their debut full length record, Something To Cry About and for me the fact they have covered Black Flag just makes me love them way more than I did before. I’ll touch on this cover in a bit, I just need to rant a bit on how their songs are just the coolest first! They make the songs that make you want to just waste your days away, staring into nothing and listening to these gorgeous songs on repeat. I love the heartbreak in some of the songs. I love how they make sorrow sound like a beautiful thing, and something to not shy away from. There is longing in some of their songs (Woman is a good example of this, and is definitely one of their best songs so far.) I just love how they create this haunting yet relaxed sound. They make you feel like they have made these songs for you. I’d love to see their show, I’m pretty sure it’d just be an ethereal experience from start to finish.

If you want to call Teenage Burritos a Garage Rock band, then go ahead- be my guest. But it is worth noting that they have so much more going on for them. They don’t need a genre to define them. At times their vocals remind me of Bikini Kill (Tambourine Girls is the song that nails this totally!) and they then flip this, and just hit you with utterly soothing songs. They are just a perfect band, and a perfect example of what I look for in music.

Teenage Burritos cover Paralyzed by Black Flag. How does it sound? Fucking insane! It’s obviously a great cover, and they make it theirs. They don’t make you feel as if you’re listening to a cover. I feel like I’ve gone back to the 90s in the midst of the Riot Grrrl movement, and it just sounds so good. I love how they mess with your head on this record. One song will be gentle, and all of a sudden they just hit you with this incredible aggression and beautifully brutal sound. If you play this record loud, and you have no idea which songs will go which way- it heightens the whole experience, and it’s just brilliant.

Teenage Burritos make music that you just get lost in. There are moments for you to probably cry, moments for you to scream, dance, wallow and all that’s in between. They are such a carefree band, and the music they make just makes you feel pretty damn good. Some of the songs are taken from a previous EP, and all they have done with these songs is make them tougher and even better to listen to.

Again, this is a band that I am happy to be obsessed with and constantly listen to. Their songs have so much emotion and beauty in them. As musicians, they are just nothing short of phenomenal. Absolutely a band I would love to see live.

Listen to Teenage Burritos. Listen to them loud, and move your body in whatever way you wish. It doesn’t have to be in time, just so long as you feel free.

 

SHADY FRANCOS

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It’s pretty hard to listen to anything else or care about anything other than The Fall right now. It’s been a few days, and it still hasn’t sunk in that the greatest and most unapologetically honest frontman is no longer with us. It sucks. It really, really sucks.

I needed something this morning to lift my mood up a little bit this morning. I found a band called Shady Francos. Proper Rock n Roll band that have this excellent psychobilly sound flowing through. If you dig The Cramps, you’ll probably love this band. I’m not sure what they’re up to right now, or if they’re still together, but it’s alright. There’s enough music for me to work on to write about them.

https://soundcloud.com/fieldtripssd/shady-francos-cant-opener

They have this effortlessly cool sound, the kind of sound you wish you could make. They’re the kind of band that if you walked past them rehearsing, it would stop you in your tracks and you’d never leave. It’s an intriguing sound that leaves you wanting more, and more. It’s a real lucid sound that you cannot shake. You can’t get enough of it. Feel free to lose your damn mind to this band. Their bio says that they are from the shady part of San Diego. They really do make you feel like you have ended up on the wrong side of town. I’ve just finished reading Digging The Vein by Tony O’Neill (if you’ve never read his work, you’re really missing out. He’s an underrated genius) and Shady Francos really do make you feel a little creeped out with their sound. They are loud, off the wall and brutal with their sound.

I love the distorted and shaky vocals. I love how you can hear this trembling in the vocals that makes you cling onto every word. I love how aggressive the drums are which go perfectly with the vocals. Everything about this band is just brilliant. They remind me a little of The Cramps and Küken. Some bands are just made to be played loud. Some bands are made to just take you some place obscure- Shady Francos do exactly that. They make you want to sit and do a load of nothing with their music blaring out.

You can imagine some kid in San Diego listening to them and just wanting to do what they do when they are older. They’re subtle heroes, and given the chance could take over the world. Things take time, so I’ll let them takeover mine. I don’t mind.

Soggy Diner Toast is so far my favourite song by them, but I’m obviously likely to change my mind as I repeatedly listen to them and find new things to love about them and more songs to claim as my favourite. If you’re looking for a band to do a whole load of nothing to, then Shady Francos are the band for you.

Play ‘em loud, piss off your neighbours and relax.

 

THE DRUNKEN DRACULAS.

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If you’re looking for a band that’ll make you shit your pants, then dance (or the other way round) then you should probably listen to The Drunken Draculas. They are part Safe As Milk (Captain Beefheart) and part A Date With Elvis (The Cramps) with something else thrown in. I can’t work out what the “something” else is, but it’s brilliant regardless.

I’m not sure what they’ve been up to recently, so I’m just basing this on past releases- and there’s a substantial amount of it for me to decide that they are nothing short of excellent. I don’t know much about the band other than they are 3 gentlemen based in San Diego. They sound like they are from a lost underworld somewhere, where daylight is a myth and blood is their poison. The songs have everything from hypnotic, hip-shaking grooves to blood-curdling banshee like yelping. The kind of band you’d want to meet in a dingy alleyway and beg them to take you into their world.

The songs sound like they could be part of some creepy Horror B-Movie. The kind that goes straight to DVD but still has an amazing soundtrack. The camera isn’t steady at all, but the music creates the mood. The Drunken Draculas are the kind of band you’d want to join. They sound like they got lost somewhere and magically came together to create this intense and lustful sound that can drive any of us crazy with the urge to hear more and more by them.  I need to hear more from them; they’re just insanely great and for the life of me, I can’t work out why they aren’t the biggest band in the world.

There’s a brilliant Psychobilly/Garage Rock sound flowing through the songs- it takes parts of bands/records I love but by no means are The Drunken Draculas a cheap rip off of anyone else. They remind me of the Count Five and The Gruesomes- they’ve got that kick to them that just sets them above most. I don’t feel like I am listening to a band from recent years (I think 2014/2015 was their last release maybe, but please correct me if I’m wrong!) They catapult you back to the 60s with their sound but at the same time, launch you into a mystical and cryptic underworld that you just want and need to be part of.

The Drunken Draculas not only have one of the best band names but they also make you believe that these guys are friendly vampires who don’t want your blood, they just want to shake you up a bit and make you dance. There is virtually nothing about them online, and let’s be honest- we don’t need to know everything about them. I have no idea if they’re still making music or not, but I do know that what they have created thus far is enough to make me want more. Their sound is exciting and different to anything I’ve heard in a long time. Some may write them off as a typical Garage Rock band, but there’s really nothing typical about this magical trio. I’m all for bands/songs that send me off elsewhere, and they do it so perfectly. I can’t describe where they take you, that’s all on the listener. But when you do listen to them, don’t settle for the four walls that trap you every single day. Let them take you somewhere else, stay there a while. Be creeped out and enjoy.

I wish I had more music by them to go on, but that’s just how it is for now. The Drunken Draculas may not take your bloody but they most certainly demand your undivided attention with their unconventional style and exquisite sound.

Play loud: https://thedrunkendraculas.bandcamp.com

PRAYERS.

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I keep getting emailed Christian Rap, I’m not sure why it keeps happening. I’m not even sure the good Lord himself (none of us know if he’s real so…) would enjoy it. Maybe he would tell them to just stop. I can’t, as that would be rude. For everything in life, there is the wonderful delights of the DELETE button. I suppose with the band I’m going to write about now may wake up some more religious rappers to come my way. I sincerely hope not.

Before I get into writing about Prayers, I just need to vent something. Yesterday I watched Fat White Family’s Glastonbury set on telly and was appalled that nobody watching them moved or lost their mind to them. You’ve got the saviors of the UK Rock & Roll scene up there and all you can do is look at your phone in the hopes your mum has text you to tell you that she loves you, just so you have something to reply to. It’s really sad. Fat Whites are evidently THE most exciting band around in this country. From their Punk-esque sounds to their dislike for clothes and stripping off mid-set is a breath of fresh air. I feel like I am in the 70s experiencing Punk for the first time. Fat Whites are what The Stooges were, easily.  They’ve got that real Punk attitude and feel to their music. And I guess if you didn’t like Punk (what is wrong with you?!) you probably aren’t going to see the appeal of Fat Whites which is a shame because they are the best band in this country. And don’t you dare say the nudity puts you off, the world doesn’t need any more prudes! Go listen to them.

So now I’ll talk about Prayers.

With the sky immediately turning to a questionable shade of grey outside and months of rain falling out of the sky, Prayers are pretty much  the most apt band I can listen to right now. I know NOTHING about the band, and I’m alright with that. We don’t need to know if the singer likes pizza or not, or his shoe size. All we need to know is just how good the music. So in short, Prayers are fucking awesome. But they deserve more than just a piddly sentence.

Prayers have that dark synth sound that is found in my beloved Cold Cave. I think it’s obvious how much I love Cold Cave and how much I adore Wes’ way with words. Prayers are really really close to that. Their subject matters are menacing, the music is eerie and the general atmosphere in their music is tense. Really really tense. To the point where you think you’re on some questionable trip as you listen to them. This is the kind of stuff I love. There’s a time and a place for songs about falling in love and gazing at the sunset, and that place is not in my record collection. Prayers are a real gnarly band with the ability to shut anyone up who listens to them. They’re calling out for something, I’m not sure what but I can’t stop listening. In the UK we have a brilliant band called Natural Assembly, who have got a similar sound going on. It’s just a real pleasure to listen to. On repeat. Constantly. Rafael Reyes is your new savior kids.

Everyone is looking for that one song or one band that really move them, you know? You can easily find it in Prayers. There’s a deep, raw emotion lurking in their music that many struggle to pull out. Prayers do it so effortlessly. Prayers are the kind of band you go to see and just totally lose yourself in their songs. You chant the songs back to them as your sweat falls off your forehead onto the ground, other people’s drinks are mixed in with your sweat and you bump into other bodies as you sway in a trance-like fashion to the music. This band just wake you up, they do something to you. They truly do move you. I know they aren’t to everyone’s taste, but they are seriously good. They are made for sweaty basement bars at 1am when you are questioning yourself and everyone around you, but as the songs kick in like a morphine drip you stop caring and just fall into the brilliant sounds of Prayers.

If you’re at a loss or just want something to move you, then go listen to Prayers. Their SD Killwave release from last year was stupidly underrated, go repent your sins and invest in it now