Howler - World Of Joy

There’s often a tendency for a second album to have less energy than the first. Not to suggest that the band are going to be keeling over with Fender made Zimmer frames for instruments; but a skiff of the youthful vitality and aggression is lost. Alternatively, second album woes can come in the shape of a record which is far too similar to the first; showing little progression or experimentation. Luckily, neither is applicable to Howler.

Firstly, the lack of energy. Listen to merely the first few seconds of ‘Al’s Corrall’ with its explosive guitars and Black Lips zeal; and that problem’s been defenestrated like a One Direction fan at a Bullet For My Valentine gig. ‘World of Joy’ bursts at the seams with verve and vitality. ‘Yacht Boys’ seesaws erratically from verse to chorus like a speedboat filled with sumo wrestlers; although admittedly the latter is a tad disappointing. And in the fantastic song-writing tradition of a name-based rhyming couplet (‘Louise / oh please’), ‘Louise’ is a pounding slice of pop-punk with lashings of fantastic subtleties.

Perhaps more exciting than their continued gusto, though, is the odd tangent in sound and experimentation with something a little different. Take ‘Here’s The Itch That Creeps Through My Skull’. It’s jam-packed with Smiths-y chorus guitars and an eighties feel that is quite the curveball, considering their debut almost solely consisted of brash beach-punk. Even the title track is completely different to anything they’ve done before, with its psychedelic overtones and almost Krautrock influences; though it perhaps lacks the success of their other experiments.

Best, however, is ‘Don’t Wanna’. It’s a bowl of perfectly blended punk-porridge that would get the nod from Goldilocks and some headbanging from the three bears; sounding impressively classic. It also sums up a fantastic compromise that Howler have achieved on the best bits of ‘World Of Joy’. It’s half mature sound and half youthful energy, progressive but at the same time transgressive, filled with rollercoaster rides about booze, teenage romance and school dropouts. It’s - as Goldilocks would say - ‘just right’. To put it in an alcoholic analogy; their sound may be like a fine wine, maturing as it gets older. But they’re sure as hell not going to hesitate in sprinting to the nearest wood and necking the whole damn bottle.