ALBUM: The Cribs ‘For All My Sisters’

Rating:

The Cribs have always been in a league of their own. No other band can inspire heart-in-your-throat dedication in quite the same way as the Wakefield trio. It’s been eleven years since they released their debut record, giving us over a decade of punk-infused anthems for the masses that leave your pulse racing and your spirit soaring. Times have changed: the roughly assembled aesthetics and raw garage sensibilities of old have been driven towards an amorously anthemic thrall that can captivate any attention. Still fervent, still heartfelt, and still blindingly brilliant, with the release of their sixth studio album, For All My Sisters, The Cribs have cemented themselves as one of the best bands of our generation.

If you’ve never paid much heed to the fraternal three-piece before this album is the perfect introduction, and the ardent fans couldn’t feel prouder. Squalling rock polished to a pop standard, loaded with infectious hooks and contagious choruses, it’s the sound of a band who don’t do things by halves. Producer Ric Ocasek (The Cars)’s influence can clearly be felt in the anthemicly sleek production. There’s something of a greatest hits compilation about the record – each track capable of standing on it’s own two feet – but together, dynamite. With each track as explosive as the last, dynamically the album doesn’t variate much – but achieving and sustaining so much within it’s scope, For All My Sisters doesn’t let down for a moment.

The single-ready combination of ‘Different Angle’ and ‘Burning For No One’ is a potent one: the choral croons and echoing vocals of the former acting as a delectable counterpart to the latter’s soaring chorus and ripe-for-radio refrains. Lead track ‘An Ivory Hand’ is every bit as searing and swooning as when it first soundtracked the announcement of the album’s release. ‘Simple Story’ serves as the token stripped-back ballad – endearingly delicate, but engulfed by the sprawling refrains of ‘City Storms’ that follow.

‘Diamond Girl’ will no doubt prove a favourite. “We’ll never be as straight as they want us to be,” the chorus booms – an anthem for the outcasts, angst and fortitude wrapped in a glaze of alluring pop glamour. Exceptional as it may be, nothing outshines album closer ‘Pink Snow.’ Clocking in at over seven minutes, every guitar chime, accented drawl, and resounding drumbeat tugs on your heartstrings. “I’ll try and be brave for you,” the lyrics echo, rippling guitar riffs entwining with roguishly charming vocals. A percussive explosion signals the track to rip loose, tearing into itself with the raucous energy that the band are infamous for. It’s a hypnotising and enthralling rollercoaster through emotive verse and all-engulfing refrains. It’s loud, it’s lavish, and it’s will leave you entirely exhausted.

With each track on For All My Sisters, the Jarman brothers are spreading their wings and reaching stadium-sized proportions. And it’s about bloody time.

For All My Sisters is released on 23rd March via Sonic Blew.

Jessica Goodman
@alotlikejessica