The Enduring Legacy of Wavves’ King of the Beach

Celebrating 15 Years of Influence

I hate to draw attention to the unrelenting passage of time, but King of the Beach just celebrated its 15th anniversary. Wavves’ breakthrough album is nearly old enough to drive in frontman Nathan Williams’ home state of California. Its shaggy-dog slackerism has endured over the years, spawning a plethora of garage-rock imitators in its wake. While it’s tempting to look back on 2010 as an indie rock fever dream, the album’s mix of paranoia, nihilism, and despair continues to resonate, sounding somewhat radical in its reckless abandon.

Evolving Sounds: The Wavves Discography

Responses to King of the Beach

Each subsequent Wavves album has been, in one way or another, a reaction to King of the Beach. Afraid of Heights slowed the tempo; V emphasized power pop melodies; You’re Welcome revisited its producer, Dennis Herring; and Hideaway ventured into psych rock influences. However, there’s a limit to how many times one can rhyme “drinking” and “thinking” before the charm of perpetual adolescence starts to wear thin. In Spun, Wavves’ ninth record, Williams seems to be growing weary of his stoner persona.

The Restless Creativity of Early Wavves

At its peak, Wavves’ music thrived on a kind of productive madness. Early tracks like “Gun in the Sun” and “Beach Goth” showcased a restless creativity, where sparkling melodies shone through the haze of an amateur recording setup. The urgent squeals of feedback and unhinged screams in these songs conveyed a sense of urgency, as if Williams needed to release the hooks in his head before they drove him to madness. In contrast, Spun feels less inspired, as if he’s recycling ideas and hoping listeners are too baked to notice.

The Influence of Travis Barker

A Controversial Production Choice

It’s tempting to point fingers at Travis Barker, who produced two tracks on Spun. To some rock critics, the blink-182 drummer has become the pop-punk equivalent of Jack Antonoff, whose presence can often homogenize unique voices across genres. Every time I see Barker’s name on a tracklist—whether it’s for Wavves, Sublime, or even Megan Fox’s newborn daughter—I want to scream, “Leave them alone!” Since helping the artist formerly known as Machine Gun Kelly pivot from Eminem diss tracks to electric guitar anthems, Barker has infused sterilized drum fills and excessive vocal processing into a variety of artists, flattening their distinctiveness.

The Resulting Sound of Spun

This trend continues on Spun: Williams’ voice is almost lost beneath layers of digital distortion on the Barker-produced track “Goner.” Its palm-muted guitar riffs and painfully tedious refrain left me wondering if it had been plucked from a pile of discarded MGK tracks.

Conclusion

As we reflect on 15 years since King of the Beach, it’s clear that Wavves has left an indelible mark on the indie rock landscape. However, with Spun, the band faces the challenge of balancing nostalgia with the need for evolution. Whether Williams can break free from the weight of his past remains to be seen, but the echoes of King of the Beach will undoubtedly linger.

FAQs

Q: What is King of the Beach about?
A: The album explores themes of paranoia, nihilism, and the struggles of youthful disillusionment, capturing the essence of slacker culture.

Q: How has Wavves’ sound evolved since King of the Beach?
A: Each album has experimented with different tempos and styles, moving from the raw energy of King of the Beach to more polished and varied sounds in later projects.

Q: Who produced Spun?
A: Spun features production from Travis Barker, known for his work with various pop-punk and mainstream artists.

Q: What makes Wavves’ early music stand out?
A: Early Wavves songs are characterized by a sense of urgency and creativity, blending catchy melodies with a raw, unrefined sound that resonates with listeners.

Q: Is Spun well-received by fans and critics?
A: Reception to Spun has been mixed, with some fans feeling that the album lacks the urgency and creativity of earlier works, partially due to its production choices.