Crocodiles
Crimes Of Passion
Frenchkiss Records – August 20th 2013
By Joshua Khan (@blaremag)
Find it at: iTunes | Insound | HMV Digital
8.2
As “She Splits Me Up” gnaws on garage rock and that sensibility to Pat Benatar’s sophomore LP, it’s clear Crocodiles’ Brandon Welchez doesn’t mind being imperfect. His girl is conflicted with pain and his past is plagued by demons, but at least his songs are capable of exposing the beauty in blemishes. In the hands of Sune Rose Wagner, they power Crimes Of Passion, a poetic offering that sees the San Diego musicians fleshing out material that scrapes the skin (“Gimme Some Annihilation”), chews on neon-soul (“I Like It In The Dark”), and takes a swig of lush alternative tunings (“Un Chant D’Amour”). Through a love for Street Hassle and Underwater Moonlight, the album’s burst of sound makes every little frayed guitar line and bittersweet admission memorable. There’s hooks, fuzzed up sax, and deconstructions of sorrow, but it’s no heartbreak hotel. Crocodiles know better than to sculpt an album full of false pretenses because everyone knows love exists in ramen bowls and human imperfections that leave you numb.
Listen: “She Splits Me Up”, “Marquis De Sade”, “Heavy Metal Clouds” || Watch: “Cockroach”