Southern California fuzz-pop duo, Crocodiles, were mildly famous before they even released their first full length – Summer of Hate – in 2009, but they sound like they’re ready to prove their worth on their latest offering – Sleep Forever. Tracks like “Hearts of Love” expound on the pop musings of Hate’s “Young Guns” and the album plays like Brandon Welchez and Charles Rowell are more than just the lazy, sun-loving smokers some publications make them out to be. They mostly abandon the drum programming on their debut for organic percussion and even try their hand at the love song on “Girl In Black”.

Over far-off bells and buzzing feedback, Welchez tells the story of a lady who has obviously affected him so deeply that she has a hold on his “heart, soul, and misery,” even telling her that, “if you had to walk from me/I’d follow you into the sea/laughing an eternity.”

If this all sounds too ooey-gooey, then don’t fret because Crocodiles haven’t molted into a shoegaze-y Dashboard Confessional. They get gritty on “Stoned to Death” and “Billy Speed”, and even flex their pop muscles on “Hollow Hollow Eyes”, which sounds like a song you might hear at a 21st century vampire’s birthday party. What sounds like a harpsichord bounces along in the background as the song’s most danceable track fades away as quickly as it appeared. In fact, it’s the album’s brevity that makes it so enjoyable.

Sleep Forever clocks in at just over 35 minutes long, and most definitely benefits from its short running time. Over the release's eight songs, Welchez and Rowell are able to keep the sound varied, and it’s easy to listen to this album on repeat for several hours. While none of the tracks are as hyperactive as ''Summer of Hate'’s “Neon Jesus”, the boys do manage to bring back some of the dramatic lyrical nature of their debut album on “All My Hate and Hexes Are For You”.

Over soothing synthesizers and a pulsating bass line, Welchez delivers scathing lines like “your face at night/drills a tic toc in my brain/digs canals across my face,” before he regretfully laments that “I can piss away my cash/my time I can’t get back.” The song’s low key, poppy sonic dynamic is perfectly juxtaposed to the cut’s message, and is easily the most promising song on the album. If Welchez and Rowell keep making albums like this one, then no one will care how much ganja they actually smoke.