This time around, Wavves don’t just sound stoned, bored, apathetic (although make no mistake, they definitely still sound this way), but frontman Nathan Williams also sounds vindictive. He’s got something to prove this time—whether that means justifying the ridiculous amount of hype the band’s garnered over their short two-year existence in the lime-light, showing everyone there were actual songs under all that distortion, or that indeed he’s completely, totally over what happened on that fateful day at last year’s Primavera Sound Festival. Regardless, it’s nice to hear a surf-pop-punk record that’s actually trying, even if it’s not trying very hard. When you’ve got a record with a cat smoking a joint on the front cover, a little goes a long way. Opening the record with a bang, Wavves reveal themselves as an entirely different beast right of the bat. Two obvious things stand out: the fact that Williams enlisted former Jay Reatard backing rhythm section, and that he’s peeled away a few (at least) of the thick layers of distorted effects that made his band initially intriguing. But these two changes pay off big for Williams’ songs; for the most part, King of the Beach is wildly fun, highly energetic, and refigures the hazy, stony Wavves into a supercharged noise-pop, punk band. Read full review at inyourspeakers.com
