Kevin Bronson on August 25th, 2017

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Say “The Willowz,” and the first thing that comes to mind is Kirsten Dunst dancing on a bed in her skivvies to the song “Something” in the film “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.” As flashbacks to 2004 go, it’s not a bad one. The Willowz were barely out of their teens then, Orange County kids making sawtooth garage-rock, with more ideas than the maturity to contain them, and one hell of a good time.

A lot has happened since the Willowz’ four full-lengths between 2004 and ’09 (two for the legendary label Sympathy for the Record Industry, two for Dim Mak). Singer-guitarist Richie James Follin and drummer Loren Humphrey moved to New York and formed Guards. Follin for a time played in his sister Madeline’s band Cults (and did a side project with her called Follin) and recently joined up with the Strokes’ Nick Valensi in CRX. Humphrey plays with the Last Shadow Puppets.

Now, after an eight-year layoff, the trio — Follin, Humphrey and bassist Jessica Reynoza — have fired up the engines again. Their new album “Fifth” comes out Sept. 15 via Thrill Me Records (Mrs. Magician, the Gloomies, Lowlands), and it’s a sweaty, brawny slab of rockers that sound mature but not too grown-up. As Guards’ album demonstrated, Follin can write hooks; on “Fifth” they come with a combination of menace and cool. Let’s riff again. 

||| Stream: “Now You Know”