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. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. cokemachineglow
    80
    This is drone ambiance for your buds, and Buds. Meaning: Crocodiles did good!
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. Spin
    80
    Over 34 irresistible minutes, Summer of Hate has as many barbed, house-party hooks as nihilistic blasts.
  8. 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.
  9. New Musical Express (NME)
    70
    It’s not original, but you’ll love it for the summer at least.
  10. 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.
  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. 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.
  13. 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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  14. 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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  15. 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.

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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