It’s quite possible that some people may have only come across the Jarman brothers on TV panel shows like Nevermind The Buzzcocks, where bookers may have been setting them up to be the token Northern voice on a show.
However you will likely also have had some of their songs stuck in your head at some point, as they have the ability to write absolute ear worms. With perfectly crafted punk pop rock tunes like I’m A Realist, Hey Scenesters! or of course Men’s Needs.
The dual vocals of twins Gary and Ryan, work so well laid on top of some great jangly riffs and melodies, all whilst driven by younger brother Ross’ solid drumming. The lyrics of their songwriting are always witty, thoughtful and catchy, often summing up the thoughts and feelings of fans at the time.
If the songs didn’t speak for themselves the band have been given the stamp of approval by indie rock royalty such at Sonic Youth’s Lee Ranaldo featuring on 2020’s Night Network, appearing in a Steven Malkmus video or even having Johnny Marr join the band for three years.
Selling A Vibe is the first album from the brothers since 2020, with a few tracks being available in 2025 to tease the release, 2026 would start the year well for The Cribs. Especially as it’s a collection of songs with the brothers in fine form.
The opening of Dark Luck, smashes straight in with jangly and fuzzy guitars along with solid drumming, no slow fade in, just bang we’re back and we mean business. Followed soon by the title track of the album, which has a nice slow swagger to the vocal.
Never The Same, is possibly the stand out track for me with its melody and chorus being stuck in my head most of the weekend after seeing them at Rough Trade on Friday afternoon. I can see the chorus being sung loud and proud by fans when they tour bigger shows later this year.
Summer Seizures comes a close second to Never The Same, again showing the brothers’ great songwriting prowess, from it’s opening “The summer breeze…” stretched long, to “Summer seizures, Wish I knew ya” this is going to be another sing-a-long classic.
You’ll Tell Me Anything has some great operatic vocal breakdowns to punctuate a possible tale of being controlled by someone’s platitudes. Ending with a nice call and response between the twins.
Overall the album might be seen as return to form for the band, however I think it shows that the band have always produced great records for almost a quarter of a century. All with echos of punk and lo-fi pioneers like Sonic Youth and Pavement, but a distinct British perspective. The songs on this latest album will fit nicely in a live setlist for the band, which already draws from a hefty back catalogue.