Crocodiles

The band was formed by guitarist Charles Rowell and singer Brandon Welchez after the break up of their post-hardcore bands The Plot To Blow Up The Eiffel Tower and Some Girls. Welchez and Rowell both played together in The Plot To... so when that band came to an end, and Rowell was no longer playing in Some Girls, the duo initially joined Dum Dum Girls, the band of Welchez's fiancée Dee Dee Penny. However, the duo were working on their own project while also playing in Penny's band, and “Neon Jesus”, their first single as the duo Crocodiles, was heard by the Southern California noise-pop legends No Age who promptly put the track on a list of their favourite tracks of the year. The kind of respect that No Age continue to command meant that Crocodiles scored a record deal with the Mississippi based label Fat Possum Records very shortly after that list was published.

To strike while the iron was hot, the band recorded their debut album by themselves and in April 2009, barely a year after the duo started working together, the band released “Summer Of Hate”. The reception that the album enjoyed meant that the following year, the band were able to head into the studio and work with Arctic Monkeys and Klaxons producer James Ford to record its follow up. “Sleep Forever” was released in September 2010 to huge critical acclaim, and ever since then, the band have remained one of the most respected indie rock acts of their time. They've been able to collaborate with everyone from Hollie Cook to The Television Personalities' Dan Treacy, and with the kind of cult following that the duo command, nothing seems to be able to stop them from becoming true indie rock icons. For that, they come highly recommended.