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First Listen: Howler, 'World of Joy'

Howler's 'World of Joy' is out March 25, 2014 on Rough Trade Records.
Howler's 'World of Joy' is out March 25, 2014 on Rough Trade Records.Album art / Rough Trade Records
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by Brett Baldwin

March 17, 2014

Drip
by MPR
Don't Wanna
by MPR
Yacht Boys
by MPR
In the Red
by MPR
World of Joy
by MPR
Louise
by MPR
Here's the Itch That Creeps Through My Skull
by MPR
Indictment
by MPR
Aphorismic Wasteland Blues
by MPR

Recorded at the Terrarium in Minneapolis with America Give Up producer Chris Heidman, Howler's sophomore release World of Joy is a muscular and melodic pop-punk adventure.

Quoted in NME, Howler frontman Jordan Gatesmith describes the theme of World of Joy: "The idea of this record is to expand the vocabulary of what the band does. There's a time for us to be pretentious ... There's that [on there] but there's also plenty of bratty rock'n'roll."

He elaborates, "It's got grindy Howler guitars but I think we took a note from Hüsker Dü and put a chorus on the grindy guitars. It's definitely a weird hybrid of '80s-ness meets The Byrds."

Stream the entire record until the album is released on March 25, 2014.

The band will celebrate the release of World of Joy with two appearances this week: Wednesday, March 19, Howler in-store and signing at The Electric Fetus. 7p.m.; and an album release show on Thursday, March 20, at The Triple Rock Social Club with Frankie Teardrop & Whatever Forever.