Chinese Fountain

Ultimately, Chinese Fountain is a turning point. In a way, this is their most divisive record, the first time fans will have something to disagree over.

There are delights to be discovered here for fans of Mac DeMarco’s grinning sleaze, the reedy pop of Best Coast and the straight up tunefulness of the UK’s largely overlooked Weird Dreams and it is clear that The Growlers, when not obsessing over gimmicks and borrowed tropes, are perfectly capable of graduating to become a great, insightful pop band.

Their nostalgic lo-fi jangle and reverb surf guitars sound, weirdly, like a SoCal version of The Coral, with synths. [Nov 2014, p.102]

Chinese Fountain really is everything that you would expect from these beach grungers, but it’s still fantastically unique and sparkles delightfully with fun and a sheer honesty.

The barbed musings on dead scenes (‘Dull Boy’) and vacuous hipsters (the aforementioned ‘Big Toe’) add lyrical bite to an album that, sonically, barely strays from good vibes territory.

Chinese Fountain, while remaining true to the band’s “beach goth” essence, is blessedly direct, with sharper songwriting and engaging melodies at the center of every song.

Ultimately, the Growlers’ sunny disposition and incredibly natural, economical style of songcraft carries them through Chinese Fountain, an album which manages the impressive feat of leaving the listener both utterly satisfied and hungry for more.