More about: The Cribs

After the seemingly endless trials and tribulations of 2020, everything felt just a little warmer in August when The Cribs announced their comeback. Upon sharing details of Night Network - their first album in three years after a lengthy break - an outpouring of love from both fans and the general public greeted them, all too deservingly.

The Jarman brothers (guitarist/singer Ryan, bassist/singer Gary and drummer Ross) have won adoration and acclaim with their scrappy kitchen-sink indie, their knack for tightly efficient songwriting, and their rejection of banal conformity. They’ve gone from lo-fi punk to polished power-pop, and all the way back to lo-fi punk again, managing to make every new entry in their back catalogue distinguished and brimming with character. 

Not many artists who emerged at the same time as The Cribs have thrived with the same dedication and mutual love between band and audience as they have. But why them? Why have those ramshackle Wakefield lads managed to have a career of such longevity?

A trip through their discography lay ahead and, whilst they have an impressive array of hit singles to choose from, the answer may lie in these 11 underrated gems: 

‘Things You Should Be Knowing’

The Cribs’ self-titled 2004 debut is a thing of boisterous beauty; hitting the ground running with a display of youthful energy and exuberance. At the beating heart of the album lies ‘Things You Should Be Knowing’, the song that, more than any other, demonstrated the band’s potential and unique identity at such an early stage. At a time when, in the race to find the UK’s response to The Strokes, there were seemingly more guitar bands than bacteria, it’s staggering how this hedonistic 2 minute blast of Ryan’s frantic guitar, Gary’s laid back vocals and Ross’s choppy drumming effortlessly together to create a blisteringly refreshing sound that (to quote the lyrics) is “unbelievably cool”. 

‘Hello? Oh…”

Back in May, when sophomore album The New Fellas was put under the microscope for one of Tim Burgess’ Twitter listening parties, the band commented on the range of influences that shaped its creation, with namechecks to Broadway musicals, wartime ditties from the 40s, and The Kinks- the latter being coupled with ‘Hello? Oh…”, a track brimming with sheer creativity. The spirit of Ray Davies’ impeccably English songwriting is brought seamlessly into the 21st century, with Yorkshire voices carrying on a timeless Waterloo sensibility. By the time the triumphant guitar solo plays the song out, if you’re not pumping your fist and singing the climatic ‘la-la’s with your mate wrapped round you, you’re really missing out. 

‘Don’t You Wanna Be Relevant’

Released as a double A-side alongside ‘Our Bovine Public’ in 2007, this is one of the oft-overlooked Cribs singles. Perhaps if it were included on Men’s Needs, Women’s Needs, Whatever it might have been better known, but being a stand-alone single makes it all the more special. It has an accessible, breezy charm to it, and a riff that is begging to be played at full volume at indie discos nationwide. Despite this, the lyrics are cheekily scornful, taking pot-shots at the faceless and cannibalistic industry they found themselves within; the title itself is a bold, rhetorical question. And like a welcome apparition, the band mange to sneak a reference to their own discography (“Your onstage antics out in Leeds were tailor-made to suit men’s needs”). At this point in time, The Cribs had the charm, wit and vigour in their system to take on the world. After ‘Don’t You Wanna Be Relevant’, they were ready to conquer it. 

‘Shoot the Poets’

Truth be told, this is probably the pick on this list with the most ambiguity surrounding it. Is it underrated? It does close Men’s Needs, Women’s Needs, Whatever, the band’s 2007 breakout album, and perhaps to this day their most popular and acclaimed record. Whenever the tune gets a live outing, the crowd are nothing but rapturous; swaying their eternally upright arms, belting the lyrics and drowning out Ryan’s acoustic guitar solo as they sing along to it note for note. So why is a song as evidently popular as this one on here? Well, it should be more popular. It’s a yearning and melancholic number, the curtain-call of one of the best albums of its era. Because even when they downplay and strip back their gigantic sound, The Cribs are still a band with a power unlike any other. 

‘Save Your Secrets’

Over the course of their career, The Cribs have managed to curate an impressive display of collaborators; The New Fellas and Men’s Needs, Women’s Needs, Whatever being produced by Orange Juice’s Edwyn Collins and Franz Ferdinand’s Alex Kapranos respectively. On 2009’s Ignore the Ignorant however, the band had their finest coup yet, as all-around musical icon Johnny Fucking Marr took on the mantle as an honorary Jarman (Marrman?). Marr’s influence permeates the album, and without wanting to delve into obvious comparisons, ‘Save Your Secrets’ is the most reminiscent of a 00’s spin on ‘Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now’. Striking from that gorgeously pensive refrain (“You are far more likely to be devoured than empowered by your sense of romance”), Gary and Ryan’s achingly vulnerable harmonies make the song soar beyond being “just” a forgettable album track from the Marr album, and into an essential listen. And as the proverbial cherry on the top, a whistle solo fades the song out. Persuaded yet? Course you are. 

‘Jaded Youth’

Those jagged introductory guitar chords to ‘Jaded Youth’ arrive like a sudden rush of blood to your head; a bold and brilliant track from a suitably bold and brilliant record. 2012’s In the Belly of the Brazen Bull is perhaps the band’s most ambitious, yet giddily energetic album yet- ranging from harsh walls of noise, to bubblegum indie pop anthems, to acoustic offshoots and finishing off with an epic Abbey Road style medley. ‘Jaded Youth’ is the epicentre of these ideas, seemingly incorporating them all at once without ever losing momentum. The verses march, the choruses mosh and the bridge foreshadows the melody that will tie the 4 closing tracks together. On an album so tightly focused, ‘Jaded Youth’ insists on being an unforgettable mantra to the sheer-minded passion and imagination that The Cribs have to offer.

‘Uptight’

Another cut off In the Belly of the Brazen Bull, ‘Uptight’ is the best Cribs single that never was. A blazing piece of pop-rock genius, the Jarmans confidently group guitars drenched in grungy distortion with a contagiously catchy chorus that erupts beautifully as the guitars and vocals in the verses intensify. They’ve always had the knack for effective pop writing, however it feels like since their early days, they’ve progressed from their caterwauling showcases to a more complex and immersive sound- from VHS to Blu-ray, if you will. A sense of maturity was discovered on Brazen Bull, this is The Cribs in their final actualised form, and they’re here to stay. 

‘Leather Jacket Love Song’

An offshoot from the Ignore the Ignorant sessions with Johnny Marr, ‘Leather Jacket Love Song’ remained as a live favourite, gathering dust until the release of 2013’s ‘best-of’ compilation Payola, where it finally got the chance to shine. Its joyfully earnest number that is home to a traditionally Jarman lyric, full of self-deprecating honesty (“Ten years on, 2001 is long gone/So I didn’t wanna write another leather jacket love song”). Despite the meta-text, the song is as sweet as its title suggests, with Ryan’s vocal performance superbly capturing the youthful limerence behind the sardonic mask. How this tune hasn’t featured yet in the soundtrack of a coming-of-age film during a pivotal scene where our romantic leads affirm their attraction, I will never know. It could be the indie rock answer to Peter Gabriel’s ‘In Your Eyes’. 

‘Mr Wrong’

Sometimes the combination of artist and producer can be like capturing lightning in a bottle; they can complement each other’s art in ways we couldn’t imagine before. One of those combinations was The Cars mastermind, power-pop pioneer and producer of many a timeless record (most notably Weezer’s Blue Album) Ric Ocasek collaborating with The Cribs on 2015’s For All My Sisters. Politely disregarding the perfectly sunny singles, the one track that best highlights the power of these combined forces is ‘Mr Wrong’. Thrashing guitars, tight drums and a gloriously snotty vocal from Ryan illustrate how the brothers haven’t lost their raw integrity, but they have polished it up a bit (the retro synth leading the chorus is a lovely touch). It’s a happy union between old school punk and 80's new wave, additionally one between both the band and Ocasek’s individual creative sparks. 

‘Pacific Time’

Revitalising the onomatopoeic trope of singing along to the lead guitar riff to sound utterly fresh is just the first trick up ‘Pacific Time’s sleeve. It’s a waltz to soundtrack a summer sunset, carried by a melody with the bombast of a Broadway musical. Ryan’s guitar work is unparalleled, crossing from scale to scale in a comfortably slick fashion, whilst Gary croons like a punk rock Buddy Holly, conveying a tale of miscommunication without falling to cliché at all (“I'm sorry you can't say what you wanted to say/Wordplay will always make it this way”) ‘Pacific Time’ is a sun-drenched powerhouse, one that takes you by surprise when ‘For All My Sisters’ reaches its second half.   

‘Broken Arrow’

Bringing us up to date, 2017’s 24-7 Rock Star Shit was very much a ‘back-to-basics’ affair for the band. However, what seemed like a throwback grunge record (produced by Steve Albini, no less) still managed to emerge as a vital shot in the arm for the oft-stagnancy of guitar music. Album closer ‘Broken Arrow’ contains all the usual ingredients that make up the magic of The Cribs; a raw dual vocal performance from Gary and Ryan, a killer hook and the emblem of utter conviction. They’re a band who have always stuck to their DIY integrity throughout their career, and never once fail to capture that independent spirit that makes up their music, whether they’ve gone punk or pop. And as new album ‘Night Network’ approaches, the singles show that, even after the longest hiatus of their career, the Jarman brothers have extinguished none of the fire that elevates them above their contemporaries. Long may it burn. 

More about: The Cribs