The Growlers Share Previously Unreleased Song “California,” Produced by Dan Auerbach

The Growlers are returning home to California after finishing up a tour following the release of their groovy 2016 effort City Club, but they’re not done hitting the stage quite yet. They’ll be hosting their Growlers Six Festival at the L.A. Waterfront this weekend, Oct. 28-29. In celebration of all that righteousness, the band unveiled a previously unreleased song “California,” produced by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys.

The song was recorded in Nashville while Brooks Nielsen and company were working on a full-length album with Auerbach. The record was never released, but now we have the first fruit of those sessions. An ode to the state from which they hail, the song features a guitar-strummed melody that’s as cheery as California’s golden sun. Nielsen is backed by a chorus of voices as he personifies the West Coast: “The ocean calls when we’re away / He wants to know if we’re okay.”

The Growlers Six is stacked with big indie names, featuring the likes of Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Modest Mouse, Auerbach and more. Find out more about the festival here, and scroll down to see the complete lineup and listen to “California,” along with the band’s Daytrotter Session from 2013.

The Growlers Six lineup:
The Growlers (both nights)
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Modest Mouse
Dan Auerbach
Butthole Surfers
Beth Ditto
Danny Brown
The B-52s
Girl Talk
Julian Casablancas and the Voids
Bad Brains
Guided By Voices
Geto Boys
Hepcat
Steel Pulse
Chiquis Rivera
Fear
Mike Watt & the Secondmen
Alice Glass
Nice As Fuck
Beach Fossils
Tinariwen
Frankie Cosmos
Rostam
Amber Coffman
Girlpool
Mystikal
Sly + Robbie
DJ Seinfeld
Juvenile
Jonathan Richman featuring Tommy Larkins on the Drums
Cigarettes After Sex
Big Sandy + his Fly Rite Boys
The Weirdos
The Warlocks
Antibalas
Ought
Delicate Steve
Romare
Grateful Shred performs Dark Star
Personal & the Pizzas
La Luz
The Regrettes