Summer Of Hate
by Crocodiles
Metascore
69

Generally favorable reviews - based on 14 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 14
  3. Negative: 0 out of 14
  1. AllMusic
    80
    Even without 'Neon Jesus'--the single that garnered Crocodiles quite a bit of web attention just before this release--Summer of Hate stands strong as a tremendous debut: one that pays heavy tribute to its influences while never seeming overly derivative.
  2. cokemachineglow
    80
    This is drone ambiance for your buds, and Buds. Meaning: Crocodiles did good!
  3. Dusted Magazine
    80
    Summer of Hate is fairly diverse, with bits of punk, pop, shoegaze and space-rock woven into nine distinct tracks. What unites all these elements is a fascination with tone, rather than song structure or lyrical content.
  5. Rolling Stone
    70
    This is a repeat-ready 34 minutes of melodic pop pushed to the disintegration point and beyond. Welcome to the art-punk renaissance.
  6. Pitchfork
    41
    Instead of focusing on one idea and shaping it into something unique, though, the album tries its hand at everything that is "now" (noise-pop, dance rock, etc.) and owns none of it.
  7. The New York Times
    60
    If Crocodiles revel in a strain of insolence too familiar to feel transgressive, the band also manages some catchy choruses and efficient low-fi landscapes.
  8. Billboard
    80
    Parts of this remarkable debut make for decidedly uneasy listening: The drugged-out, claustrophobic glam slam that's 'Flash of Light' may be the year's most terrifying moment.
  9. The A.V. Club
    83
    As the ever-crescendoing title track hits its final, clangorous stride, its crash signals something worthy of more than just fleeting cyberlove.
  10. Spin
    80
    Over 34 irresistible minutes, Summer of Hate has as many barbed, house-party hooks as nihilistic blasts.
  11. Slant Magazine
    60
    At times they recall labelmates Wavves, short of their devotion to fuzzy landscapes--another sonic comparison for an album that recalls the messy disorder of a tipped-over jukebox.
  12. New Musical Express (NME)
    70
    It’s not original, but you’ll love it for the summer at least.
  13. PopMatters
    60
    This will please everyone in the insulated bubble of the critic/blog world, giving the lads another shot at stardom. Who knows, the Marmosets could be huge in 2012.
  14. Uncut
    60
    They build on the West Coast blueprint for strung-out, psychotropic darkness, tracking back to The Crystals via Mary Chain and leaning heavily on the reverb and delay. However, it's hedonism, not retro homage that floats the Crocodiles' boat. [Jul 2009, p.84]
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  15. Mojo
    60
    It's hard not to be seduced by the pure enthusiasm the duo have for wailing feedback, white light/white heat and archaic teen rebellion. [Aug 2009, p.103]
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User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
7.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 5 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 5
  3. Negative: 0 out of 5
  1. TatTape
    Sep 10, 2009
    5
    FAKE. They stole good things from Mary Chain, Suicide, 90s lo-fi music, and just ruined them all. Maybe just listen to bands like Crystal FAKE. They stole good things from Mary Chain, Suicide, 90s lo-fi music, and just ruined them all. Maybe just listen to bands like Crystal Stilts, Box Elders, Times New Viking, Dum Dum Girls, or even Wavves instead.… Full Review »
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