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.
Nobody Owns You
The Growlers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Saying nothing to much while they find it first
Pissin' on the moments and missing the chance
Under your face and it slipped through your hands
Waiting for approval and nobody cares
Guessing the mood is behind every stare
Think back about the things you used to care about
Think of how lame your fears seem now
And how you might not get to live again
Worried about the stranger's imaginary thoughts
Wondering if they're gonna love you or not
Loves me she loves me not it's all the same
Irrational thoughts still feed the mundane
Waiting for approval and nobody cares
Guessing the mood is behind every stare
Think back about the things you used to care about
And now there so insignificant
Think how lame your fears seem now
And how you might not get to live again
Patience out the window and feed it to the birds
Saying nothing to much while they all find it first
Pissin' on the moments and missing the chance
Under your face and it slip through your hands
Think back about the things you used to care about
And now there so insignificant
Think of how lame your fears seem now
And how you might not get to live again
Let all fear be your mirror
Let it show you that it can't hold you
Let all fear be your mirror
Let it show you that nobody owns you
In the song "Nobody Owns You," The Growlers explore the themes of societal pressure and the search for approval from others. The lyrics suggest that people may sacrifice their own wants and desires in order to conform to the expectations of others. The first verse speaks about the importance of taking chances and not letting opportunities slip through one's hands because of fears of failure or rejection. The chorus urges listeners to reflect on the things they used to care about, often realizing that past fears and worries are insignificant in the present. The second verse contemplates the power of opinions from strangers and the weight they carry in decision making, ultimately leading to the same conclusion that all these anxieties are irrational and mundane. The final lyrics suggest that the fear of not being accepted by others can be overcome by acknowledging that ultimately no one owns or controls us.
Line by Line Meaning
Patience out the window and feed it to the birds
Impatience prevails and time is being wasted
Saying nothing to much while they find it first
Not speaking up and losing out on opportunities
Pissin' on the moments and missing the chance
Disregarding important moments and squandering opportunities
Under your face and it slipped through your hands
Something valuable was within reach, but carelessness caused it to slip away
Waiting for approval and nobody cares
Seeking validation, but realizing that it's irrelevant
Guessing the mood is behind every stare
Misinterpreting people's reactions and assuming negative thoughts
Think back about the things you used to care about
Reflecting on past priorities and realizing how trivial they were
And now there so insignificant
Things that once seemed important are now meaningless
Think of how lame your fears seem now
Realizing that past fears were unfounded and silly
And how you might not get to live again
Recognizing the importance of making the most of life
Worried about the stranger's imaginary thoughts
Concerned about what others think, even if it's all in their head
Wondering if they're gonna love you or not
Seeking love and acceptance from others
Loves me she loves me not it's all the same
Realizing that love is fickle and unpredictable
Irrational thoughts still feed the mundane
Allowing irrational thoughts to dominate and keep life dull
Let all fear be your mirror
Confronting and acknowledging fear as a part of oneself
Let it show you that it can't hold you
Realizing that fear doesn't have power over oneself
Let all fear be your mirror
Confronting and acknowledging fear as a part of oneself
Let it show you that nobody owns you
Asserting one's own autonomy and freedom from external control
Contributed by Henry J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@nitevce
Patience out the window and feed it to the birds
Saying nothing to much while they find it first
Pissin' on the moments and missing the chance
Under your face and it slipped through your hands
Waiting for approval and nobody cares
Guessing the mood is behind every stare
Think back about the things you used to care about
And now there so insignificant
Think of how lame your fears seem now
And how you might not get to live again
Worried about the stranger's imaginary thoughts
Wondering if they're gonna love you or not
Loves me she loves me not it's all the same
Irrational thoughts still feed the mundane
Waiting for approval and nobody cares
Guessing the mood is behind every stare
Think back about the things you used to care about
And now there so insignificant
Think how lame your fears seem now
And how you might not get to live again
Patience out the window and feed it to the birds
Saying nothing to much while they all find it first
Pissin' on the moments and missing the chance
Under your face and it slip through your hands
Think back about the things you used to care about
And now there so insignificant
Think of how lame your fears seem now
And how you might not get to live again
Let all fear be your mirror
Let it show you that it can't hold you
Let all fear be your mirror
Let it show you that nobody owns you
@octavio801
Patience out the window and feed it to the birds
Saying nothing to much while they find it first
Pissin' on the moments and missing the chance
Under your face and it slipped through your hands
Waiting for approval and nobody cares
Guessing the mood is behind every stare
Think back about the things you used to care about
And now there so insignificant
Think of how lame your fears seem now
And how you might not get to live again
Worried about the stranger's imaginary thoughts
Wondering if they're gonna love you or not
Loves me she loves me not it's all the same
Irrational thoughts still feed the mundane
Waiting for approval and nobody cares
Guessing the mood is behind every stare
Think back about the things you used to care about
And now there so insignificant
Think how lame your fears seem now
And how you might not get to live again
Patience out the window and feed it to the birds
Saying nothing to much while they all find it first
Pissin' on the moments and missing the chance
Under your face and it slip through your hands
Think back about the things you used to care about
And now there so insignificant
Think of how lame your fears seem now
And how you might not get to live again
Let all fear be your mirror
Let it show you that it can't hold you
Let all fear be your mirror
Let it show you that nobody owns you
@nixances9894
Patience out the window and feed it to the birds
Saying nothing to much while they find it first
Pissin' on the moments and missing the chance
Under your face and it slipped through your hands
Waiting for approval and nobody cares
Guessing the mood is behind every stare
Think back about the things you used to care about
And now there so insignificant
Think of how lame your fears seem now
And how you might not get to live again
Worried about the stranger's imaginary thoughts
Wondering if they're gonna love you or not
Loves me she loves me not it's all the same
Irrational thoughts still feed the mundane
Waiting for approval and nobody cares
Guessing the mood is behind every stare
Think back about the things you used to care about
And now there so insignificant
Think how lame your fears seem now
And how you might not get to live again
Patience out the window and feed it to the birds
Saying nothing to much while they all find it first
Pissin' on the moments and missing the chance
Under your face and it slip through your hands
Think back about the things you used to care about
And now there so insignificant
Think of how lame your fears seem now
And how you might not get to live again
Let all fear be your mirror
Let it show you that it can't hold you
Let all fear be your mirror
Let it show you that nobody owns you
@brittanystewart9572
This band means everything to me... I could never get tired of them... Endless good music... Real music... Raw music... The music of my soul.
@mikaarms
I hear a thousand times a day <3 beautiful song
@dartanghaneluard2263
Michelle Dutra... Idem, bravo! : )
@urbanchalet903
same here, for the last 2 weeks can´t get rid of it. that guitar it´s magic
@fawkeveryoneent2731
@Urban Chalet right?!?! This one and California on repeat fam
@nitevce
Patience out the window and feed it to the birds
Saying nothing to much while they find it first
Pissin' on the moments and missing the chance
Under your face and it slipped through your hands
Waiting for approval and nobody cares
Guessing the mood is behind every stare
Think back about the things you used to care about
And now there so insignificant
Think of how lame your fears seem now
And how you might not get to live again
Worried about the stranger's imaginary thoughts
Wondering if they're gonna love you or not
Loves me she loves me not it's all the same
Irrational thoughts still feed the mundane
Waiting for approval and nobody cares
Guessing the mood is behind every stare
Think back about the things you used to care about
And now there so insignificant
Think how lame your fears seem now
And how you might not get to live again
Patience out the window and feed it to the birds
Saying nothing to much while they all find it first
Pissin' on the moments and missing the chance
Under your face and it slip through your hands
Think back about the things you used to care about
And now there so insignificant
Think of how lame your fears seem now
And how you might not get to live again
Let all fear be your mirror
Let it show you that it can't hold you
Let all fear be your mirror
Let it show you that nobody owns you
@kieranjohnson2123
This is great, but i think it's 'guessing the motives behind every stare' and 'let old fear be your mirror'
@Wutwut1n1
One of the most beautiful songs I’ve ever heard
@lilahoe3947
This song deserves more recognition
@ilmaritilvis621
I think this is one of the greatest the growler songs