Self acclaimed beach goths The Growlers are breaking free from the tried stereotypes critics have thrust upon them. Chinese Fountains, a concoction of 80s new wave pop and reggae is, for sure, a step in a different direction for the band. Different, yeah, but the seemingly sharp edges which hold the album together sound false – rather than new – and stand in stark, strange contrast to the band’s four earlier albums.

Chinese Fountains as a whole feels stunted in its imagination; repetitive blues quickly sound stagnant, insipid even. The Growlers used to sing of getting high and living life to the full, but Chinese Fountains is less hedonism and booze, more hangovers and boredom.

This release should convey a darker life, a life that drink and drugs can’t mask. Sadly, the light and poppy feel leaves these motifs in the dust and the result is a forced rush of a record. On first listen you might just be taken by The Growlers’ light approach to melancholy, but in the end you’ll realise you’re just listening to a bunch of lazy dudes who are wholly confused about their intentions.

Crack Staff