Singer Brooks Nielsen and music director/guitarist Matt Taylor met in high school in the beach town of Dana Point, California, bonding over surfing, skating, and partying. When offered the chance to perform at a house party, the duo quickly wrote their first six songs in a single day, leading to the first incarnation of the band that would eventually become The Growlers.
After releasing a handful of self-recorded cassettes and CDs, The Growlers issued their first studio album, Are You in or Out? in 2009 on Everloving Records. Aquarium Drunkard described it as “consistent in sound and tone that is as enjoyable straight through or on shuffle… Taken as a whole, the record is a beautiful mix of late 60’s freak-out, folk calmness and surf rock.” Their second album, Hot Tropics, was released in 2010, also on Everloving Records. The band's third album, Hung at Heart, the first to feature Anthony Braun Perry on bass and Jason Kaiser on percussion, was released in 2013. The band originally worked with Dan Auerbach to record the album, but the finished version never saw official release. Instead the band recorded a new version of the album in Costa Mesa, CA with Mike McHugh at his Distillery Recording Studio, to get a more lo-fi sound.
Chinese Fountain, their new "more grown up, well polished" album was released September 23, 2014. This album was produced by JP Plunier at Seahorse Studios in Los Angeles, CA. While touring the album, the band expanded their live band with percussionist Nick Murray.
The band's fifth studio album, City Club was released by Cult Records on September 30, 2016, while they embarked on a supporting tour in the same month. It was the first Growlers album to be credited solely to Brooks Nielsen and Matt Taylor, as opposed to the whole band. Nielsen and Taylor wrote and recorded demos for the album over a span of 2 to 3 months with the help of Kyle Mullarky at his studio in Topanga Canyon, CA. It was preceded by the title track as a single produced by Julian Casablancas, who also owns the label. Neither drummer Scott Montoya nor bass player Anthony Perry feature on the album. On September 25, the band confirmed Montoya's departure from the band and stated that Perry was set to return in the near future. The band toured for this album with Brad Bowers on bass, Adam Wolcott Smith on keyboard, and Richard Gowen on drums. Whether their membership in the band is permanent is currently unclear.
The band released Casual Acquaintances on July 27, 2018, a collection of demos and unused material from the City Club sessions.
Allegations of misconduct
In July 2020, allegations of sexual misconduct surfaced against the band, along with other artists associated with Burger Records and the Southern California surf and garage rock music scene. Arrow De Wilde, the lead singer of the L.A. rock band Starcrawler, shared a personal encounter on her Instagram. In her post, Arrow claims she was assaulted by a male stripper hired by The Growlers while they were on tour together in Australia. In a statement issued via Instagram on July 31, 2020, Growlers singer Brooks Nielsen took "full responsibility and accountability for the behavior of all Growlers' band members, past and present," and announced that Matt Taylor would temporarily leave the band. Additionally, former Growlers touring keyboardist Adam Wolcott Smith admitted to an incident of abuse on his Instagram, while on tour with his band Zen Mother.
Gay Thoughts
The Growlers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Gay thoughts and feelings
I don't know where they come from
Oh all of these gay thoughts
I've had trouble concealing
Since I was fairly young
I tell them I love you
I don't want to lose you
But they don't mind
I hardly believe me
I always deceive me
Time after time
Part of it's nature
The other part seems darker
Don't know what to blame it on
Try to control my behavior
But this is so much harder
When I'm far away from home
I tell them I love you
I don't want to lose you
But they don't mind
I hardly believe me
I always deceive me
Time after time
Gay thoughts again
They fill with every drink
Gay thoughts again
Consuming everything
Gay thoughts are mine
But they don't feel like me
These thoughts are somebody
That I don't wanna be
I tell them I love you
I don't want to lose you
But they don't mind
I hardly believe me
I always deceive me
Time after time
In "Gay Thoughts," The Growlers explore the struggle with unwanted same-sex attraction. The lyrics speak to the difficulty the singer faces when attempting to control their thoughts and feelings, which seem to arise naturally and uncontrollably. The singer expresses confusion over the source of these desires and explains that they have struggled with them since childhood. While the singer desires to maintain their opposite-sex attraction, they cannot seem to shake the persistent pull towards same-sex attraction.
The song touches on the frustration that the singer experiences in trying to control their behavior, even though the attraction feels beyond their control. In the final lines of the song, the singer resigns themselves to the reality of their same-sex attraction and recognizes that these thoughts are a part of who they are, even though they do not want to fully embrace them.
Overall, "Gay Thoughts" is a thoughtful exploration of the internal struggle that many people face when confronted with unexpected or conflicting sexual attraction.
Line by Line Meaning
I try to stop all these Gay thoughts and feelings
I attempt to suppress my attractions towards the same gender
Oh all of these gay thoughts I've had trouble concealing Since I was fairly young
I am struggling to keep my sexual orientation a secret from myself and those around me
I tell them I love you I don't want to lose you But they don't mind
I express my feelings to my significant other but their acceptance does not alleviate my internal struggle
Gay thoughts again They fill with every drink Gay thoughts again Consuming everything
My sexual thoughts resurface when I drink, taking over my thoughts and emotions
Gay thoughts are mine But they don't feel like me These thoughts are somebody That I don't wanna be
Although these thoughts stem from within me, they do not align with my perceived self and identity
Try to control my behavior But this is so much harder When I'm far away from home
I attempt to regulate my actions, but when I am away from my familiar environment, my restraint decreases
I hardly believe me I always deceive me Time after time
I struggle to accept my own truth and constantly try to deceive myself into thinking I am someone else
Contributed by Nicholas K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.