There is nothing better than a day when you have the time to pull your favorite book off the shelf, bask in the sun and relish the carefree nature of a perfect summer afternoon. Wavves' third full-length release, King of the Beach embodies the nostalgia and displeasure that is inevitably felt as summer ends.
Saying that Wavves has had an erratic career would be an understatement. One could argue that the only real reason why Wavves has received continual attention over the past few years is because of the odd situations that Nathan Williams, Wavves frontman, has grappled with since the beginning of his career. Seldom does a young artist arrive at Primavera, an enormous music festival in Barcelona, six months after releasing his debut EP. Williams' set at the festival included arguing with his drummer, strumming random chord progressions, mocking the audience and eventually being defeated as the sound crew cut his microphone. He left Spain letting the audience interpret his performance; his onstage tantrum caused many to scoff and ridicule Wavves up until the recent release of King of the Beach.
Compared to Wavves' previous recordings, which were often scattered, there are recurring themes in King of the Beach's tracks, namely surf, sun, drugs, girls, drugs, making music, drugs and escape from boredom. These storylines provide a compelling reason to stay interested in Wavves.
After listening to King of the Beach, one immediately notices the difference in sound quality compared to past releases. Williams makes a transition from no-fi to lo-fi, picking sounds that translate into sentiments that match the things he is inspired to sing about. Although the album's title is mocking indie culture's enduring craze over whimsical beach themes, Williams is very much an element of the realm he jabs at. The opening track, ""King of the Beach,"" is upbeat and has an infinite feeling: ""You're never gonna stop me / King of the beach / Let the sun burn my eyes / Let it burn my back / Let it burn through my tights.""
Similar to groups like Animal Collective, Wavves experiments with new forms of drums and synthesizers. On songs like ""Baseball Cards"" and ""Mickey Mouse,"" these new musical techniques are well integrated, giving each song a smooth flow for easy listening.
In ""Mickey Mouse,"" Williams grows resentful and realizes that life cannot be as simple as he wants, a humbling tone for his music. While the song's lyrics are brief, they remain powerful, ""I never wanna leave home / Everything in the back of my brain / Told me that I would be sick / When I'm out there.""
The words of ""Mickey Mouse"" are genuine, unlike Wavves' previous album, which was basically a lot of uninteresting complaining. What was once a cry for salvation from boredom, King of the Beach is a studio-produced album that shares a detailed story of emotion.
There is also terrific sequencing on this album, as the last song, ""Baby Say Goodbye,"" fades in and out for an appropriate conclusion.
Williams deserves all the credit he can get for King of the Beach. The album is a sign of great progress for Wavves. Hopefully, Williams will be seen as an admirable musician instead of a worthless deadbeat who cannot truly embrace chillwave music. And regardless of its contrite feelings, King of the Beach is a perfect summer album: simple and direct.
