New Bangers NME
“On Repeat” The Line of Best Fit
“sure to have fans foaming at the mouth for a full-length project” Consequence
“a four-piece who seem to click into place with remarkable ease” CLASH
MARCH 6TH - Manchester alt-rock risers cruush reveal the latest cut from forthcoming new EP Nice Things Now, All The Time (April 12th / Heist or Hit).
‘Cotton Wool’ is an oceanic down-tempo wall of psychedelic guitars, tasteful distortion and ethereal vocals from Amber Warren. It came together naturally, sprawling out in front of the quartet and filling their view, echoing the horizon-filling day-today alluded to in the lyrics.
Guitarist Arthur Boyd recalls: “the entire song tumbled out of an open tuning I was playing on a 12-string. We instantly had the same sonic vision.”
Adds Amber: “Cotton Wool’ is a song for all those treading water in their mid-twenties, capturing the essence of imposter syndrome and the sense of isolation that can accompany this stage of our lives. It speaks to a fear of not measuring up to expectations and the uncertainty of trying to navigating early adulthood. The title sums up that feeling of being wrapped in soft, insulating material as a way of shielding and protecting oneself from the vulnerabilities we feel during this period of our lives. The lyric is an articulation of the common experiences and emotions faced by young adults as we strive to find our place in the world.”
cruush take shoegaze’s dusty magic and thrust it into the 2020s, combining grit-your-teeth distortion with a disarming sweetness - think the delicacy of Wolf Alice whipped in the cyclonic guitars of My Bloody Valentine.
Alongside the juxtaposition innate to their sound, thematically they craft a narrative which is part based in whimsical head-in-the-clouds humour, and part on banal reality:
“The EP title comes from a bit we were doing in the car, a Trumpian/Saul Goodman style character selling you the promise of ‘nice things now, all the time’, contrasting with the dreary reality of our lives in the city. We’re all skint, overworked, bored and just want ‘nice things now, all the time.’ Let’s feed Lowry shrooms and take him to Thorpe Park.”
Broadcasters and journalists alike have been enchanted with the method behind the madness, with Jack Saunders (BBC Radio 1), Steve Lamacq, Tom Robinson & Chris Hawkins (BBC Radio 6), John Kennedy (Radio X), Simone Butler (Soho Radio), Consequence of Sound, Bandcamp Daily, NME, Brooklyn Vegan, Under The Radar, Dork, DIY and CLASH all lining up to call themselves fans.
On the live side, cruush have bagged supports with NewDad, BDRMM, The Lounge Society, Pale Blue Eyes, Far Caspian, Priestgate and Ian Sweet, while selling out hometown headline dates at Gullivers & YES.
The EP will be released on a limited run of 200 12” vinyl which also includes 2023 EP Wishful Thinker on the flip - pre-order for this will begin on Feb 2nd (to time with Bandcamp Friday). This will include a ‘zine insert created by vocalist Amber Warren, and tees are available as a bundle option too.
“We’re over the moon to have both our EP’s on vinyl, people have been asking at shows for a long time so it's great we can have our music in physical format at last! Having the 2 EPs next to each other as well shows a really nice progression from where we’ve come from and hints at what’s to come next.”
Nice Things Now, All The Time - the new EP from cruush - is out April 12th via Heist or Hit. New single ‘Cotton Wool’ is out now.
out on April 12, 2024
via Heist Or Hit Records
out on April 10, 2024
via Heist Or Hit Records
out on January 31, 2024
via Heist Or Hit Records
out on October 18, 2023
via Heist Or Hit Records
out on April 14, 2023
via Heist Or Hit Records
out on March 29, 2023
via Heist Or Hit Records