Crocodiles are 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. Shoegazi ...

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

band from

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, 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 14th UK and 16th US album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released on 9 June 1978 by Rolling Stones Records. It was recorded in sessions held between October 1977 and February 1978 at Pathé Marconi Studios in ...

and

The Plot to Blow Up the Eiffel Tower The Plot to Blow Up the Eiffel Tower was an American four-piece punk/noise band from San Diego, California, United States, that formed in 2001. After disbanding in 2006, drummer Brian Hill now plays with The Soft Pack, while singer Brandon Welch ...

. 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. After signing to independent label Creation Records, they rele ...

The Archies ''The'' () is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite ...

, and

Tommy James & The Shondells Tommy James and the Shondells are an American pop rock/psychedelic rock band, formed in Niles, Michigan, in 1964. They had two No. 1 singles in the U.S. – " Hanky Panky" (July 1966, their only RIAA Certified Gold record) and "Crimson and Clov ...

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' albu ...

(Welchez since divorced from frontwoman Dee Dee Penny, aka Kristin Kontrol), Crocodiles initially gained exposure in 2008 after fellow

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most po ...

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, ''S ...

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'', 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''. 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 served as the 36th Sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona for 24 years, from 1993 to 2017, losing reelection to Democrat Paul Penzone i ...

", 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 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 spring of 2012. Guests on the album include reggae singer

Hollie Cook Hollie Cook (born 1987, West London, England) is a British 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 songwr ...

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 (French: ''crime passionnel''), 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 rather than as a premed ...

''. The album was produced by

Sune Rose Wagner Sune Rose Wagner (born 24 July 1973, Sønderborg, Denmark) is a Danish songwriter, guitarist, and singer, best known for playing in the rock group The Raveonettes. In addition to his own bands, Wagner has produced, recorded, and mixed albums ...

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 Bro ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. Guests on the album include

Gregg Foreman Gregg Foreman (born October 5, 1972) is an American musician and DJ born in Philadelphia. Foreman gained recognition originally as the front man of The Delta 72, a band that created a frenetic and honest style channeling post-punk rock sensibilit ...

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, musician and model. Cat Power was originally the name of her first band, but has become her stage name as a ...

, 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 the ...

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 and 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 R ...

, A Place To Bury Strangers,

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 moniker for the music of Wesley Eisold, described as a "collage of darkwave, noise, and synthpop." A number of reviewers note the affinity with early 1980s post-punk and early synthpop, in particular Joy Division and New Orde ...

member Justin Benoit. Welchez and Dee Dee release records for other bands under the Zoo Music label name.

Discography

Albums

*'' Summer of Hate'' (2009) *'' Sleep Forever'' (2010) *'' Endless Flowers'' (2012) *''

Crimes of Passion A crime of passion (French: ''crime passionnel''), 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 rather than as a premed ...

'' (2013) *''Boys'' (2015) *''Dreamless'' (2016) *''Love Is Here'' (2019)

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 e ...

Record Store Day Record Store Day is an annual event inaugurated in 2007 and held on one Saturday (typically the third) every April and every Black Friday in November to "celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store". The day brings together fa ...

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 Noise pop musical groups Frenchkiss Records artists