(Pod/Inertia)

I was really hoping he’d call it Wavvvves

Wavves, aka Californian Nathan Williams, garnered a strong response to his second full length, Wavvves. It was an album of punk rock tunes consumed by distortion, apathy and the occasional synth blast. King Of The Beach largely discards the stereo-rupturing lo-fi buzz of that album in favour of a cleaner, sunnier pop sound, much like Jay Reatard did after Blood Visions (irony: Jay Reatard’s band now play with Wavves). Williams’ songwriting has emerged from beneath the layers of guitar grime to prove his ability to execute a great pop hook. There’s a predominant surf rock flavour to whole record, but there’s a refreshing variety too: partly because the aforementioned bandmates Billy Hayes and Stephen Pope contribute to songwriting, and partly because Williams is no longer limited by the humble equipment of the bedroom artist. Pope’s Linus Spacehead sounds entirely like a Pixies track, from the chord progression to the Kim Deal ooh ooh’s from Williams. When Will You Come? is mellow surf rock at its most gorgeously hazy. Baseball Cards and Mickey Mouse have the noisy sheen of earlier material, but not at the expense of letting the melodies shine through. Idiot is Williams at his obnoxious pop punk best, while Green Eyes leaves Williams sounding unusually exposed and melancholic until the raucous epiphany of the chorus. The move to a brighter pop sound will turn off some current fans and bring in plenty of new ones, but noisy or not, Williams is still making great music.

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MICHAEL PINCOTT

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