Crocodiles
Boys
ZOO MUSIC
4/10
For six years, Crocodiles have been regularly pumping out lo-fi psych-pop records to critical and fan acclaim. On Boys—their fifth LP—Brandon Welchez and Charles Rowell mine the sounds of yesteryear with commendable enthusiasm, but this is a fat-fingered clutch of songs yanked from a seemingly leftover riff grab bag. Opener “Crybaby Demon” sets a disappointing precedent. Despite a solid psych riff and the mandatory high-register organ drone, the track mooches lazily between an early Apples in Stereo jam and the frenetic energy of The Brian Jonestown Massacre. When “Foolin’ Around” slinks in, there’s immediately more panache; the vocals are sultry, the drumming pops, it sounds sensuous and dangerous. You’re prepared to forgive a degree of filler in the name of experimentation when a band flits between styles, but Boys frustrates as it carelessly careers between incredibly mediocre tracks (“Do the Void,” “Kool TV”) and the occasional brilliant (“Blue,” “Transylvania”) number.
