The Cribs – Men’s Needs (Wichita)
4/5
By: Alex Lee Thomson
And a deep sigh of relief as you exhale from the aftermath of the new Cribs single taken from their forthcoming third (yes third, where have you been?) album 'Men's Needs, Women's Needs, Whatever'. Scratchy but strangely saccharine vocals saunter you through the first lights flickering from a more precise and controlled Cribs and while it at first sounds suspiciously like their last batch of singles it's rather more seductive and sombre, guarded and yet untamed.
The Cribs have always been a bit of a funny one, and their unfairly gradual success is hard to figure out. Their voices are fractured, basic and often sound like a drunken karaoke mission gone awry and the guitars sound too f**ked to be taken seriously, but at moments its borderline genius, and it's their understated and raw attitude that make them so approachable and instantly likable.
You'll either get it or not, and if this one doesn't do it for you, nothing much else in their battery will. It's not as pacey as 'Wrong Way To Be' but like 'Gravity's Rainbow' is to Klaxons, it's a well-balanced depiction of what the Cribs do. 'Men's Needs' has a guitar riff that senselessly rapes the ghosts of forgotten 80s heroes and shags the deep recesses of your dejected consciousness, rattling and riling you up into a restrained sad faced dance that has you slowly flexing your muscles into sync with a song that's hit an indie-grime target dead on. The Cribs are still the best post-pub band and this one is a positive gem for their collection... now bring on the album you swines!
Stream 'Men's Needs' HERE.
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