Pocket Croc Manateees

When you hear the name Manateees, what do you think of? I think either of Animal Collective when they were truly bizarre and inventive (and at time indecipherable and unlistenable) or Rick & Morty for some reason – the drawn out e’s should be uttered with maniacal glee. Because listen to Memphis punks Manateees, there is nothing off the table – instead its been plunged in a gravel & spit mixer and vomited on a graffiti-marred wall in garish, visceral colours. Case in point – their new release, Croc N My Pocket. You can see the impressions of Jack Oblivian’s fingerprints on this dissonant gems, but Manateees are adept at breaking their own rules without rough royal help, thank you very much. ‘Under The Gun’ is the perfect bitter cyanide pill impossible not to swallow, but everything here is some shade of golden – especially love the grinding, gurning and mating with prog metal interlude ‘River Of Death,’ the death dirge 'Witch', and the galloping rock and low-down whistles (and jaw harp?) of ‘On The Run’. I think Croc N My Pocket isn’t as depraved as, say, Soupcans (who we spoke about earlier this week), or as abrasive as Wet Ones (another band mentioned recently), but Manateees have their own bent brand to bear that is infectious and infecting. They are all kinds of insane, and therefore all kinds of awesome. Grab Croc N My Pocket through 12XU here.