We Saw Wavves (and Partial Male Nudity) at Sonos Studio

Last Tuesday, as if by divine prophetic vision, Wavves bassist Stephen Pope tweeted this:

if i ever get skinny taking my shirt off wont be funny anymore: (

— stephen pope (@SteviePopJr) February 26, 2013

Two nights later, a shirtless (and pantsless) Pope sat onstage at Sonos Studio beside bandmate Nathan Williams, capping off a night of surprises and delights with a live chat and some partial male nudity. And yes, it was still funny.

West Hollywood's Sonos Studio played host to an exclusive first listen of surf rock royalty Wavves' forthcoming full-length, Afraid of Heights, out March 26th on Mom + Pop. If you've never listened to an album through top-of-the-line speakers in a room immaculately engineered for sound, it's a lot like waking up in Oz, the only difference being that instead of a wizard standing behind the curtain, there's a security guard telling you that "actually, the bathroom is that way."

Of course, the best sound system in the world would all be for naught if you don't give people something that feels good deep down in their ear holes. Luckily, Afraid of Heights hits in all the right spots. Like an agoraphobe stepping out into the world, Afraid of Heights (Wavves' first studio album recorded with no label involvement) feels at once triumphant and totally fucking terrified—an infectious, cutting mix of ambition and crippling anxiety.

Following the full album preview, the band took the Sonos stage and, after some last-minute gear fiddling, banged out roaring live versions of their new material for the first time. Despite peppering their set with "Sorry"s, Wavves still came out swinging with the brash, unapologetic DGAF-rock for which they're known and loved.

Somewhere in the three and a half seconds it took me to hop onstage for the post-performance Q&A, Stephen managed to strip down to his underwear. Why? "I get hot after I play." Fair enough. Far be it from me to stand between a man and his homeostasis.

The ensuing Q&A revolved less around the concept of the album (as I had planned) and more around producer John Hill hiring an MMA pro to beat him up at 5AM everyday and Stephen drunkenly breaking into his ex-girlfriend's house in a clown suit, but suffice it to say that everyone in attendance walked away having experienced…something. Those boys know how to deliver, be it rambunctious rock or WTF moments to tweet home about.

Thanks to Sonos and Wavves for giving us a night of new tunes, a sweaty show, and a hell of a story.

Sasha has pictures of Stephen's bare man-bod she wish she could show you. Follow her on Twitter - @sashahecht