aging them as “couples,” a series of EPs leading up to their sophomore album, which is full of mid-tempo anthems that feel like the beach bonfire. But don’t call them psychedelic: “We always kind of joked around about ‘psych’ music,” says Nielsen. “It’s just kind of funny—the new Britney Spears song is psychedelic to me. I like psychedelics, but we don’t consider our music psych.” No matter what you call it, Growlers are keeping it simple, keeping it real and expecting the unexpected.
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an enclave on the beach, fully fitted with a recording studio. “We’ve been really introverted,” Nielsen explains. “Not that we want to be hibernating—we record, mix, silkscreen, package CDs, do music videos all ourselves—the last one I made really ghetto.” Between the five of them—bassist Scott Montoya, keyboard player Miles Patterson and drummer Brian Stewart fill out the band—and despite their lackadaisical attitudes, they tend to get a lot done. Lately, Growlers have been putting together songs and pack-