Now Playing: The Cribs – ‘Chi-Town’

The Cribs - Chi-Town

Now Playing – twice every week, a roundtable of our writers will give their views on some of the recently-released new tracks. It’s as simple as that! If you want to tell us what you think of the song, feel free to leave a comment below.

Track: ‘Chi-Town’ by The Cribs

Average Grade: 6.2

Paul: So this, The Cribs’ first post-Marr release is curiously business as usual. Gone are the slower, twinkling sounds and we see the welcome return of the three-minute tuneful thrashes they made their name with. Maybe a little too familiar for some, but a welcome return nonetheless. 6/10

Antonio: A welcome return to form from one of my teen favourites. Though I haven’t paid much attention to The Cribs in recent years, I had been disappointed by their third and fourth albums and hearing ‘Chi-Town’ really does rejig my memory as to why I fell in love with them all those years ago, on a school night, in the now demolished Soundhaus in Northampton.  8/10

Richard: Working with the great maverick Steve Albini has brought some much needed urgency back to The Cribs sound. ‘Chi-Town’ is a simple no thrills rock song, which harks back to the cider soaked, rough and ready sound that shaped their first two albums, only with a juddering razor cut. I like this song, because it wets the appetite for more. I’m positively drooling. 8/10

Kenneth: Probably a bit more mindless and American sounding than I’d expect from the Cribs. Maybe a result of Steve Albini being the producer. Outlives its welcome by the time the guitar solo comes along at 2.36 though. I never knowingly play the albums I already have by them and can’t say that this has persuaded me to do so or to get hold of the new one so 5/10 for being nothing special.

Tom: With a simpler, punkier sound The Cribs play to their strengths.  ’Chi-Town’ looks The Jam in the eye and takes ‘Going Underground’ on a trip to the Chicago subway.  The drums rumble, and the guitar solos are appropriately raw-edged.  The lyrics aren’t the most interesting thing about this song, and maybe it’s more Elastica than Jam when push comes to shove, but the energy is all there. 7/10

Stef: Sorry, just can’t like this one. I like my guitar music bit more like TV on the Radio and a little less sedated punky or whatever it is. Not likely to cause a riot, not likely to cause a thinking man’s revolution, surely not likely that I’ll be listening to this anytime soon. 3/1

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