4/5
Exciting young four-piece from Minneapolis, Howler, is the brainchild of 19-year-old Jordan Gatesmith, lead guitarist for indie band Total Babe. Widely regarded as having much more talent than they care to let on or maybe even realise, big things have been happening for the band. They’ve recently become the latest signing to legendary label Rough Trade Records, were crowned #3 in NME’s Best New Bands of 2011 So Far (and were the editor’s personal choice), were hand-picked by The Vaccines to support them on their UK tour, and even more excitingly, have just announced the release of their debut five-track EP, ‘This One’s Different,’ which drops 1st August.
Howler accurately describe their style as “surfy,” but punk and thrash elements can also be heard on this record. Whilst having succeeded in creating their own unique sound they may at times be comparable to a sobered up, speeded up, and cheered up version of San Francisco band Girls, which is definitely no bad thing. Refreshingly, the band members don’t take themselves too seriously, labelling themselves on their MySpace account as “four disgusting children in one disgusting band,” portraying their reckless, don’t give a f*** attitude.
“This One’s Different’ is a seemingly effortless first attempt by Howler, with fourteen minutes of upbeat, staccato, surfy riffs and carefully-crafted indie melodies combined with darkly romantic, sometimes angsty, sometimes bitter-sounding and self-depreciating lyrics about girls and heartbreak, brought to life by the quirky yet wonderful vocals of Gatesmith. The stand-out tracks are first release ‘I Told You Once’, with its catchy lyrics and upbeat melodies, along with the raw, interestingly named ‘You Like White Women, I Like Cigarettes’. This EP has plenty of potential to be part of the soundtrack to your summer (break-up). If this promising handful of tracks are anything to go by, then the talented Minnesotans have, without a doubt, a successful future ahead of them. 
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