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.
Truly
The Growlers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Who you were?
I only wish that I had heard it
From you first
There’s never a good time
Or even a right time
All you can do is commit
(Lies and your skin, lies in your trail)
Never leave somebody else as
Life will surely fail
Truly when were you gonna tell me
Who you were?
I only wish that I had heard it
From you first
Truly when were you gonna tell me
Who you were? I wasn’t ready in your eyes
And that’s what hurts
Lies in your smile lies in your laugh
Took me for such a ride
Now we can’t find our way back
You know that no one’s perfect now
You win this too
I know it all works out somehow
But don’t ask me how I do
You know that no one’s perfect now
(Lies and your skin, lie in your trail)
Never leave somebody else as
Life will surely fail
You know that no one’s perfect now
You win this too
I know it all works out somehow
Don’t ask me how I do
You know that no one’s perfect now
You know that no one’s perfect now
The lyrics of "Truly" by The Growlers touch upon the theme of deception and the pain that comes with discovering someone's true identity. The singer expresses their frustration and disappointment at not being informed earlier about the person's true nature, emphasizing that hearing it directly from them would have been preferable. The line "There's never a good time or even a right time, all you can do is commit and hope you pick the fine line" suggests that delivering difficult truths is always challenging, but it is necessary for maintaining trust and preventing relationships from failing. The phrase "lies and your skin, lies in your trail" indicates that the person has left a path of deception behind them. The verse "Lies in your smile lies in your laugh, took me for such a ride, now we can't find our way back" portrays the depth of the singer's emotional investment in the relationship and the feeling of being lost. Despite acknowledging that nobody is perfect, the singer realizes that they too can overcome the pain and uncertainty, concluding with the repeated line "You know that no one's perfect now."
Line by Line Meaning
Truly when were you gonna tell me
Genuinely, at what point were you planning to inform me
Who you were?
About your true identity?
I only wish that I had heard it
I simply desire that I had been informed
From you first
By you initially
There’s never a good time
There isn't a suitable moment
Or even a right time
Or even an opportune moment
All you can do is commit
Your only option is to make a commitment
And hope you pick the fine line
And hope you choose the right balance
(Lies and your skin, lies in your trail)
(Deception and your appearance, deception in your path)
Never leave somebody else as
Never abandon another person because
Life will surely fail
Life will certainly deteriorate
Truly when were you gonna tell me
Genuinely, at what point were you planning to inform me
Who you were?
About your true identity?
I only wish that I had heard it
I simply desire that I had been informed
From you first
By you initially
Truly when were you gonna tell me
Genuinely, at what point were you planning to inform me
Who you were? I wasn’t ready in your eyes
About your true identity? I wasn't emotionally prepared in your perspective
And that’s what hurts
And that's what causes pain
Lies in your smile lies in your laugh
Deception in your smile, deception in your laughter
Took me for such a ride
You deceived me so greatly
Now we can’t find our way back
Now we are unable to retrace our steps
You know that no one’s perfect now
You are aware that nobody is flawless now
You win this too
You emerge victorious in this situation as well
I know it all works out somehow
I understand that everything resolves itself in some way
But don’t ask me how I do
But please refrain from inquiring about my methods
You know that no one’s perfect now
You are aware that nobody is flawless now
(Lies and your skin, lie in your trail)
(Deception and your appearance, deception in your path)
Never leave somebody else as
Never abandon another person because
Life will surely fail
Life will certainly deteriorate
You know that no one’s perfect now
You are aware that nobody is flawless now
You win this too
You emerge victorious in this situation as well
I know it all works out somehow
I understand that everything resolves itself in some way
Don’t ask me how I do
Please don't inquire about my methods
You know that no one’s perfect now
You are aware that nobody is flawless now
You know that no one’s perfect now
You are aware that nobody is flawless now
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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