Crocodiles is a

noise pop Noise pop is a subgenre of alternative and indie rock that developed in the mid-1980s in the United Kingdom and United States. It is defined by its mixture of dissonant noise or feedback with the songcraft more often found in pop music. Shoegaz ...

indie pop Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with a DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and s ...

band from

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, US. The group was formed in 2008 by core members Brandon Welchez and Charles Rowell after the break-up of their former punk bands

Some Girls ''Some Girls'' is the fourteenth studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released on 9 June 1978 by Rolling Stones Records. It was recorded in sessions held from October 1977 to February 1978 at Pathé Marconi Studios in Paris ...

and The Plot to Blow Up the Eiffel Tower. Crocodiles' sound has typically been likened to

The Jesus and Mary Chain The Jesus and Mary Chain are a Scottish alternative rock band formed in East Kilbride in 1983. The band revolves around the songwriting partnership of brothers Jim and William Reid, who are the two founders and only consistent members of the ...

The Archies The Archies are an American fictional rock band featured in media produced by, and related to, Archie Comics. They are best remembered for their appearance in the animated TV series '' The Archie Show''. In the context of the series, the band ...

, and

Tommy James & The Shondells Tommy James and the Shondells is an American rock band formed in Niles, Michigan, in 1964. The band has had two No. 1 singles in the U.S.: " Hanky Panky" (1966), the band's only RIAA Certified Gold record, and "Crimson and Clover" (1969). The b ...

History

Whilst at the same time playing in an early incarnation of

Dum Dum Girls Dum Dum Girls was an American rock band, formed in 2008. It began as the bedroom recording project of singer and songwriter Dee Dee (née Kristin Gundred). She is currently based in Los Angeles. The name is a double homage to the Vaselines' a ...

(Welchez since divorced from frontwoman Dee Dee Penny, aka

Kristin Kontrol Kristin Gundred, known professionally as Kristin Kontrol, is an American musician, singer and songwriter. She is best known as founder and lead singer of indie rock band Dum Dum Girls (using the pseudonym Dee Dee), with whom she released five stud ...

), Crocodiles initially gained exposure in 2008 after fellow

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural List of regions of California, region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its densely populated coastal reg ...

noise pop band

No Age No Age is an American noise rock duo consisting of guitarist Randy Randall and drummer/vocalist Dean Allen Spunt. The band is based in Los Angeles, California, and was signed to Sub Pop records from 2008 to 2013. No Age's fourth studio album, '' ...

included their single "Neon Jesus" in a list of the year's best songs. This led to the duo being signed to Mississippi-based label

Fat Possum Records Fat Possum Records is an American independent record label based in Water Valley and Oxford, Mississippi. At first Fat Possum focused almost entirely on recording previously unknown Mississippi blues artists (typically from Oxford or Holly Sprin ...

, who released the band's self-recorded debut album ''

Summer of Hate ''Summer of Hate'' is the 2009 debut studio album by the San Diego band Crocodiles. The ''New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic ...

'', in April 2009. After touring in support of their debut full-length, the first half of 2010 saw Crocodiles go into a studio in the Mojave Desert with British producer James Ford. The resultant sessions comprise the band's second album ''

Sleep Forever ''Sleep Forever'' is the second album by San Diego rock band Crocodiles. It was released by American label Fat Possum Records the year after the band's debut, ''Summer of Hate''. ''Sleep Forever'' was recorded in Rancho de la Luna a vintage st ...

''. The record was released by Fat Possum in the September of that year. In September 2010, Crocodiles released an instrumental song, "Kill

Joe Arpaio Joseph Michael Arpaio (; born June 14, 1932) is an American former law enforcement officer and politician. He was the Sheriffs in the United States, Sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona, Maricopa County, Arizona for 24 years, from 1993 to 2017, ...

", referencing the controversial anti-immigrant Sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona. Arpaio heard the song and responded using Twitter, "Msg for the San Diego band 'Alligators' who wrote a new song called 'Kill Joe Arpaio': BITE ME,". Arpaio also referenced the song during an appearance on Phoenix TV channel KPHO, saying "I'm a little concerned about the music, where kids can get this type of music. I think it sends a bad message. I understand freedom of speech, but there has to be a line of threatening a law enforcement official." Crocodiles responded via Spin Magazine saying "Maybe if the song was called 'I'm Gonna Kill Joe Arpaio,' he'd have a case but what we are attacking is the attitudes and policies he represents. In reality, we're keeping our fingers crossed that his much-deserved heart attack comes soon; the world can always use one less racist." In September 2011, Charles Rowell and Brandon Welchez self-produced their third album, '' Endless Flowers'' in Berlin, Germany. The album was released in the spring of 2012. Guests on the album include reggae singer

Hollie Cook Hollie Cook (born 1987, West London, England) is an English singer and keyboardist. She was part of the final line-up of all-female punk/reggae band the Slits. From 2010, Cook has also had a career as solo artist working with producer and songw ...

and

Dee Dee, performing back ups on the track "My Surfing Lucifer" under the moniker Les Fleurs Du Mal Girl's Choir. In April 2013, Charles Rowell and Brandon Welchez recorded their fourth album, ''

Crimes Of Passion A crime of passion (), in popular usage, refers to a violent crime, especially homicide, in which the perpetrator commits the act against someone because of sudden strong impulse such as anger or jealousy rather than as a premeditated crime. A ...

''. The album was produced by Sune Rose Wagner of

The Raveonettes The Raveonettes are a Danish indie rock duo, consisting of Sune Rose Wagner on guitar, instruments and vocals, and Sharin Foo on bass, guitar and vocals. Their music is characterized by close two-part vocal harmonies inspired by The Everly B ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. Guests on the album include Gregg Foreman of Delta 72 and

Cat Power Charlyn Marie "Chan" Marshall ( ; born January 21, 1972), better known by her stage name Cat Power, is an American singer-songwriter. Cat Power was originally the name of her first band, but has become her stage name as a solo artist. Born in ...

, soul singer Afrodyete of

Breakestra Breakestra is a ten-piece funk "orchestra" from Los Angeles, California, formed by Miles Tackett in 1996. Tackett, also known as "Musicman", records, composes, plays bass, upright cello, guitar, keyboards and drums. He also sings along with th ...

as well as Welchez' brother, jazz musician Josh Welchez. In addition to their own recordings, Crocodiles have collaborated with

Television Personalities The Television Personalities are an English post-punk band formed in 1977 by London singer-songwriter Dan Treacy.Earp, Joseph.The Missing Man Of Music: A Search For The Elusive Dan Treacy Of Television Personalities. ''The Brag'', 26 July 2016 ...

' frontman

Dan Treacy The Television Personalities are an English post-punk band formed in 1977 by London singer-songwriter Dan Treacy.Earp, Joseph.The Missing Man Of Music: A Search For The Elusive Dan Treacy Of Television Personalities. ''The Brag'', 26 July 2016 ...

as well as

. Although initially gigging as a two piece, Welchez and Rowell have expanded the band to include a live drummer, bassist and keyboard player. Musicians in the live band have included members of

Blank Dogs Blank Dogs is an American post-punk project from Brooklyn. It is a monicker for multi-instrumentalist Mike Sniper, who had previously played with DC Snipers.The Slits The Slits were a punk/post-punk band based in London, formed there in 1976 by members of the groups the Flowers of Romance and the Castrators. The group's early line-up consisted of Ari Up (Ariane Forster) and Palmolive (a.k.a. Paloma Rom ...

A Place To Bury Strangers A Place to Bury Strangers are an American rock band formed in 2002, in New York City. The trio is currently composed of Oliver Ackermann (guitar/vocals, bass), John Fedowitz (bass guitar) and Sandra Fedowitz (drums). Commonly known by the initi ...

and

. Outside of their activities with Crocodiles, Rowell has released music with

under the name Psychic Dancehall, while Welchez has released music with wife Dee Dee under the name Haunted Hearts. Both Rowell and Welchez have collaborated on poetry books with various friends, including late

Cold Cave Cold Cave is the solo project for musician Wesley Eisold, described as a "collage of dark wave, darkwave, noise music, noise, and synthpop." A number of reviewers note the affinity with early 1980s post-punk and early synthpop, in particular Jo ...

member Justin Benoit. Welchez and Dee Dee release records for other bands under the Zoo Music label name. In recent years Welchez has collaborated with Los Angeles based musician Kate Clover (whom he wed in 2022) and is a member of her band.

Discography

Albums

*''

'' (2009) *''

'' (2010) *'' Endless Flowers'' (2012) *''

Crimes of Passion A crime of passion (), in popular usage, refers to a violent crime, especially homicide, in which the perpetrator commits the act against someone because of sudden strong impulse such as anger or jealousy rather than as a premeditated crime. A ...

'' (2013) *''Boys'' (2015) *''Dreamless'' (2016) *''Love Is Here'' (2019) *''Upside Down in Heaven'' (2023)

EP

*''Fires of Comparison'' (2010)

Singles

*"Neon Jesus" (2008) *"Refuse Angels" (split with

) (2008) *"Hollow Hollow Eyes" (split with

, Graffiti Island and PENS) (2009) *"I Wanna Kill" (

Fat Possum In nutrition, biology, and chemistry, fat usually means any ester of fatty acids, or a mixture of such compounds, most commonly those that occur in living beings or in food. The term often refers specifically to triglycerides (triple ester ...

Record Store Day Record Store Day is a semi-annual event established in 2008 to "celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store". Held on one Saturday (typically the third) every April and every Black Friday in November, the day brings together f ...

split with

Wavves Wavves is an American rock band based in San Diego, California. Formed in 2008 by singer-songwriter Nathan Williams (born June 12, 1986), the band also features Alex Gates (guitar, backing vocals), Stephen Pope (bass guitar, backing vocals) an ...

) (2009) *"I Wanna Kill" (UK release) (2009) *"Merry Xmas Baby (Please Don't Die)" (collaboration with

) (2009) *"Sleep Forever" (2010) *"Sunday (Psychic Conversation#9)" (2011) *"Crybaby Demon" (2015) *"Foolin' Around" (2015)

References

External links

Filmed interview, August 2010

Spin.com
{{Authority control Fat Possum Records artists Indie rock musical groups from California Musical groups from San Diego American noise pop musical groups Frenchkiss Records artists