You can bet that Nathan Williams is not going to screw it up this time. After nearly short-circuiting his musical career last year, the singer, guitarist and overall mastermind behind lo-fi garage-rock band Wavves returns with a third album, “King of the Beach.” The Fat Possum release, originally scheduled for Aug. 3, is now available Thursday in digital form on iTunes (physical release date remains Aug. 3).

It looked for a moment last year as though there might not be a third Wavves record when Williams got loaded up on a cocktail of Valium and ecstasy before Wavves’ set at the Primavera Sound Festival in Barcelona, and then melted down, fighting on stage with his then drummer and insulting the crowd. An apology ensued, along with Williams’ admission of alcohol abuse, which resulted in the cancellation of the rest of Wavves European tour.

Williams got his shit together, though, holing up in Dennis Herring’s Sweet Tea Recording studio in Oxford, Miss., to make “King of the Beach,” which includes contributions from former members of Jay Reatard’s band. First single “Post Acid,” is a tempestuous punch in the gut, full of pell-mell guitar and breakneck rhythm.

Photo by Lauren Dukoff

June 28, 2010 at 8:00 am | Share |