On their sixth studio album, Beach Goth veterans The Growlers continue their patented style of mixing sunshiny electro based pop-rock with darker late-night dance vamps. Natural Affair won’t win over new fans as much as it solidifies what the group does best.
The excellent opening title track sets the tone with lines like, “everyone is crazy everywhere/nothing seems fair” before shouting out to special ones as mothers, nature and otherwise, cram the dance floor. The Growlers clear love of early 00’s acts like The Strokes and Arctic Monkeys is distilled through an 80’s pop sensibility throughout the record as hip-shaking dance numbers like “Foghorn Town”, “Stupid Things” and “Die & Live Forever” are just a few examples of the group radiating easy funkiness via an after hour’s neon vibe.
“Pulp of Youth” is a bright note which cuts with a light sense of melody while the bass pulse is jacked up for the more ominous-sounding numbers “Social Man” and “Long Hot Night”. Tracks like “Coinstar” and “Truly” slow down a bit to put the focus more on dramatic impulses, but never fully remove their feet from the dance floor.
Less successfully the group dabbles with reggae-light sounds on “Shadow Woman” ending up with thin results while “Try Hard Fool” overloads on ‘80s synth, the group uses this better in moderation. The balance is better on a number like “Tune Out” which does a neat trick of sounding tossed off while dealing with the title act in today’s world, it moves between silliness and seriousness with its lyrics successfully.
The band’s style is now well ingrained and Natural Affair continues The Growlers down that unique path which connects the blacked-out windows of hip late-night backroom parties with sandy bright California shores.
