Minneapolis indie-rockers Howler have ridden a wave of hype over the last year or so. NME are openly massive fans of the five-piece, and they’re tipping them for big things. NME Magazine named Howler #3 in their “Best New Bands Of 2011” list, and they also included frontman Jordan Gatesmith in their list of “The 50 Coolest People of 2011”, while Q introduced them as “The Grunge Strokes” and The Next Big Thing. So, is all this hype deserved? Let’s run through the album, track-by-track…
Beach Sluts – The album gets off to a ferocious start with Beach Sluts. Reminiscent of the early Strokes, the guitars are loud and Gatesmith’s vocals are as fuzzy and unique as Casablancas’. The lyrics are deep and heartfelt, giving a feeling of Jordan’s frustrations in his love-life. “I don’t even try anymore/ ‘cos I’m afraid and I’m too shy”. Though the band’s dry humour – which is evident throughout the album – acts as an excellent foil, lyrics like “I’m so lonely I can’t wait for anyone else/ and I’m so lazy I won’t believe in anything else” show that there’s a seriously heartfelt songwriter hiding somewhere beneath Gatesmith’s leather-jacketed exterior.
Back To The Grave – The darkly named but typically catchy Back To The Grave flies past in barely two minutes, and Gatesmith’s combination of wit and frustration is present again. “Where will you be in 2023? In someone else’s arms and not with me”.
This One’s Different – The hook-laden This One’s Different is the highlight of America Give Up’. The song kicks-off with the infectious instrumentals that we can come to expect to be a trademark of Howler. Jordan then intervenes with his assertive, snarling vocals.” I don’t care what you said back then/ I just care what you say right now”. The chorus is powerful and still as catchy as the rest of the song. “I want you right noooow/I need you right noooow” has a similar effect to Julian Casablancas crying “I ain’t wasting no more tiiime” in The Strokes’ Someday. Gatesmith claimed to have written the song in about 15 minutes. We’d like to hear what he could do with an hour!
America – It’s similar to Howler’s other tracks, but with a touch of Springsteen. “It’s a joke protest song”, said Gatesmith. This track is typically loaded with sarcasm and dry humour (“I wanna be an American/ An American’s American/ Just like You”).
Too Much Blood – The longest track on the album by a distance, Too Much Blood is also a lot slower tempo-wise. Jordan Gatesmith described this song by saying “It’s all a bit emo”, but it’s so much more than just emo – it’s the most cynical track on a rather cynical album, but the song is still captivating in its own unique way.
Wailing (Making Out) – After a 7-minute lull, the album sparks back into life here and resumes the pace it had set itself before America. Holwer’s ever-present catchy riffs and Gatesmith’s sarcastic lyrics take centre-stage yet again as he growls “I’m so tired of making out”, leaving the viewer to imagine a lot more than he’s seemingly willing to actually describe. A great track
Pythagorean Fearem – Surf-trashy and manic. It’s a fun track and a good filler.
Told You Once – Another of the stand-out tracks of America Give Up, this is as romantic a song as we’re probably going to get out of Howler (“I wish there was something I could do/’cos I hate myself/more than I hate you”).
Back Of Your Neck – Clearly heavily influenced by the likes of Chuck Berry, this is another excellent track. The track opens with some high-pitched, optimistic wooing, but it doesn’t take long before the pessimism resumes. “You think we’re Bonny and Clyde/but both of them fucking died”. Lovely.
Free Drunk – This a pretty soothing track. Slow, relaxed vocals and a bit of background wooing. There’s not much more to say.
Black Lagoon – Another surfy one, as Gatesmith undergoes the transformation from groaning front-man to a gloomy cheerleader (B-L-A-C-K-L-A-G-O-O-N). A catchy, infectious track that sums the album up.
Overall, America Give Up is a very promising debut album. There may not be anything here that hasn’t been done before, but that shouldn’t take anything away from Howler for still doing it to a very high standard. The most interesting thing about this album is that every track could easily be released as a separate single, and that’s really what the album sounds like – a collection of eleven singles. That isn’t a bad thing though, because it highlights the band’s versatility and it also speaks volumes for the quality of the songs. There’s room for improvement – the lack of depth in some of the songs leaves us often longing for more, and there really isn’t anything too ground-breaking here. It is still worth noting that the band are still young – nineteen-year-old Jordan Gatesmith has obviously got something about him, as do the other interesting characters that make up the band. America Give Up is an enjoyable listen from start to finish and it certainly warrants the excitement surrounding the band.
