Crocodiles

Crocodiles is a US indie rock and noise pop group from San Diego, California, active from 2008. The band forms around Charles Rowell and Brandon Welchez, who meet in their teenage years in San Diego and play together in several earlier projects before re-forming as Crocodiles in April 2008. Welchez handles vocals and Rowell plays guitar.

Line-up and early background

Before Crocodiles, Rowell and Welchez play together in various line-ups, including The Plot to Blow Up the Eiffel Tower, where Welchez sings and Rowell plays guitar. Crocodiles later expands to include bassist Marco Gonzalez, keyboardist Robin Eisenberg and drummer Anna Schulte. Anna Schulte is listed among the group’s members.

Albums and recording

The band records its third full-length album, Endless Flowers, in Berlin after travelling from San Diego. The album is released in spring 2012 in the UK on Souterrain Transmissions and in the US on French Kiss. Their fourth album, Crimes of Passion, follows in 2013 and is produced by Sune Rose Wagner of the Raveonettes. For that record, the group is reduced to Rowell and Welchez, with occasional guest backing vocals and horns.

Later activity

Welchez also records an album with his wife, Dee Dee of Dum Dum Girls, under the name Haunted Hearts while taking a break from Crocodiles. The band then regroupes and records another album in Mexico City with producer Martin Thulin, continuing to develop a more pop-focused sound and adding Latin influences.

Sound

Crocodiles’ music combines sunny melodies with a scuzzy recording style and heavy feedback. Their work is described through the genres indie pop, noise pop, post-punk revival and psychedelic rock, with tags also including shoegaze, lo-fi, noise rock and noise.