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 βconsistent in sound and tone that is as enjoyable straight through or on shuffleβ¦ Taken as a whole, the record is a beautiful mix of late 60βs freak-out, folk calmness and surf rock.β 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.
Try Hard Fool
The Growlers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Don't let a heart forget
Walk the dotted line
With heavy footsteps
Nobody said it would be easy
And if it was, you wouldn't want it, want it
You gotta laugh every once in a while
Without danger there ain't no style
But you can only try so hard
Poems in the sky
Reflection, wet and cold
Between death and birth
We're only growing old
Nobody said it would be easy
And if it was you wouldn't want it anyway
It's just a game though you ain't no child
You gotta cry every once in a while
Without danger there ain't no style
But you can only try so hard, so hard, so hard
And you can only try so hard
Some fools never learn to take their turn
It's just a game though you ain't no child
You gotta laugh every once in a while
Without danger there ain't no style
But you can only try so hard
It's just a game thought you ain't no child
You gotta laugh every once in a while
Without danger there ain't no style
But you can only try so hard
The lyrics to The Growlers' song Try Hard Fool convey a message of perseverance and resilience. The opening lines, "Pause but don't quit, don't let a heart forget, walk the dotted line with heavy footsteps," suggest that the journey may be difficult, but one must persist through it. The reference to walking the dotted line symbolizes following a certain path or trajectory that may not always be easy, but it's essential to continue moving forward.
The song talks about the inevitability of aging and the fact that life can be challenging, but without those struggles and hurdles, there can be no true growth and progress. The chorus emphasizes that life is just a game, albeit a crucial one that everyone must learn to play to the best of their abilities. It says that you have to laugh and cry, and take risks in life, but in the end, you can only try so hard. The song acknowledges that some things are out of our control, and we should learn when to let go and when to keep fighting.
Overall, Try Hard Fool articulates the importance of embracing life's uncertainties, struggles and obstacles, and recognizing the value of every experience in shaping our lives.
Line by Line Meaning
Pause but don't quit
Take a break, but don't give up
Don't let a heart forget
Don't forget what you truly care about
Walk the dotted line
Follow the path that is laid out for you
With heavy footsteps
Even if it's difficult and burdensome
Nobody said it would be easy
Life is not a cakewalk
And if it was, you wouldn't want it, want it
Challenges make life interesting
It's just a game though you ain't no child
Life is a game, but you're not a child anymore
You gotta laugh every once in a while
Find joy in life
Without danger there ain't no style
Taking risks is what makes life exciting
But you can only try so hard
You can only do your best
Poems in the sky
Natural beauty above us
Reflection, wet and cold
Observing oneself in a difficult situation
Between death and birth
Life is fleeting
We're only growing old
Time passes by quickly
Some fools never learn to take their turn
Some people never learn from their mistakes
It's just a game though you ain't no child
Life is a game, but you're not a child anymore
And you can only try so hard
There is only so much effort you can put in
Writer(s): Matthew Taylor, Brooks Nielsen
Contributed by Dominic I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@3liloz119
Lyrics:
-
Pause but donβt quit
Don't let a heart forget
Walk the dotted line
With every foot stance
Nobody said it would be easy
And if it was, you wouldnβt want it, want it
It's just a game though you ain't no child
You gotta laugh every once in a while
Without danger there ain't no style
but you can only try so hard
Poems in the sky
Reflection, wet and cold
Between death and birth
We're only growing old
Nobody said it would be easy
And if it was you wouldnβt want it anyway
It's just a game though you ain't no child
You gotta cry every once in a while
Without danger there ain't no style
But you can only try so hard, so hard, so hard
And you can only try so hard
Some fools never learn to take their turn
It's just a game though you ain't no child
You gotta laugh every once in a while
Without danger there ain't no style
But you can only try so hard
It's just a game though you ain't no child
You gotta laugh every once in a while
Without danger there ain't no style
But you can only try so hard
-
Shout out Eric Gonzalez for the Lyrics!
@TheElmasv74
Thanks to my 16 year old son I like this band. I have raised him well. Can't wait to surprise my son with tickets to the Anaheim show. Gonna teach my son how boomers rock out
@aaronwashington1035
u sir. r the best boomer of all boomers
@Micah1998
Hell yea man
@NaneuxPeeBrane
Thats fucking awesome - lucky son, lucky dad.
@h2oespi541
Righteous Marco. Cheers
@Akira-ol6ip
Thatβs so fucking cool
@user-jj6xp2ln4d
This is not only my favorite Growlers song, but my favorite song of all time. The artists will probably never see this, but I want them to know that I love their music so much!!
@strangfeldjohansen7452
nice oneβ€
@qcrew2938
I hung out with Brooks last night and I showed him this comment!
@user-jj6xp2ln4d
@@qcrew2938 completely forgot about this comment till now! still love the song! thank you!!