First it was the meltdown in front of thousands of people. Then came the apology, which was focused on the level of stress Nathan Williams has endured since starting to tour extensively in February. Now comes the solution (or one solution we should say).

As Pitchfork is reporting, the rest of the Wavves European tour is apparently cancelled — or at least not listed on their MySpace anymore.

As reported last Friday, Nathan Williams and drummer Ryan Ulsh stumbled their way through a cut-short Wavves set at the Primavera Sound Festival that included an intraband meltdown, shoe tossing, boos and passive aggressive audience taunting. Later that evening, Williams apologized via his Ghost Ramp, citing copious amounts of alcohol, sedatives and touring as the culprit.

From the Wavves Ghost blog:
Friday, May 29, 2009
Primavera/Europe

I think in the back of my head I knew I wasn’t exactly mentally healthy enough to continue to tour the way I have been since February. Honest truth is this has all happened so fast and I feel like the weight of it has been building for months now with what seems like a never ending touring and press schedule which includes absolutely zero time to myself. I’m sorry to everyone who has put effort into this and to everyone who supported me. Mixing ecstasy valium and xanax before having to play in front of thousands of people was one of the more poor decisions I’ve made(duh) and I realize my drinking has been a problem now for a good period of time. Nothing else I can do but apologize to everyone that has been affected by my poor decision making. I made a mistake. Not the first mistake I’ve made and it for sure wont be the last. I’m human. Don’t know why I chose the biggest platform I could imagine to loose my shit, but that’s life. You live and you learn.

Pitchfork’s Ryan Schreiber posted his account this morning of last night’s Wavves debacle at the Primavera Sound Festival in Barcelona. According to the website’s founder, Nathan Williams and drummer Ryan Ulsh stumbled their way through a cut-short set that included an intraband meltdown, shoe tossing, boos and passive aggressive audience taunting.

Get the full story here.

When was the last time you saw someone listening to a walkman? You know, the ones with the huge foam headphones that you used to listen to while skating around mall parking lots. I can think of nothing more enjoyable than skating to the elementary school a couple blocks away and throwing up some graffiti while listening to recent blog detonator Wavves‘ semi-self-titled new record, Wavvves, on a walkman. San Diego native Nathan Williams’ fuzzy bedroom surf punk gems will rejuvenate that reckless, fuck-all teenager inside you and inspire such trips.

With a helpful bump from the likes of ABC News, the recent success of similar sounding groups like Vivian Girls and Times New Viking, and distribution from Fat Possum Records, Wavves have gotten a swift kick into the limelight without playing more than a handful of shows. Williams’ songs don’t need a tour to stand behind though; they can easily stand on their own two punch-drunk, lo-fi legs. Songs, “Get In The Sun” and the blog firecracker “So Bored” explode with the youthful exuberance that comes with drinking 40s and listening to The Ventures and Jesus & Mary Chain. Guitars compressed like springs throw-up all over the sugary, doo-wop inspired vocals of “No Hope Kids” creating a beguiling pile of pop mess. Williams is at his best, however, when he slows it down on the dreamy, beach-sunset-accompanying “Jet Plane (Staying On)” where he channels a bedroom incarcerated Brian Wilson.

Unfortunately the record suffers like a speed freak at a funeral, quickly running out of juice and anxiously scrambling for a hook by the time it reaches songs like “Summer Goth 2″ and “Ghost Ramp 4″. The last half of the record is hoisted on its own apathetic petard as it dissolves into the noisy ruminations of a bored kid. This transition seems inevitable though, as Williams’ recklessly jaded lyrics convey the intense monotony and dullness of his life with a drunken swagger throughout the record. On “Get In The Sun” he sings, “I’m just a boy with nothing to do / I’m just a boy with nothing to say” with such disinterest, we know its just a matter of time until he grows tired of these perfect pop gems.

The record, as a whole, is best taken in small doses, and the standout tracks would make marvelous 7-inches that could shine even brighter when not weighed down by the rest of the misguided mess. Trim all that fat away and Wavvves is the ultimate teenage rabble rousing soundtrack that would have accompanied you on the walk to some basement party or while wandering around a vacant warehouse. Dig up your walkman for one last spin with this record, or better yet, just throw “So Bored” on a mix and go drink with you friends in the park with a boom box in tow. An iPod could work in a pinch too.

Fat Possum Records