The Cribs – Selling a Vibe
Unlike fellow mid-2000s Yorkshire indie rockers Arctic Monkeys, The Cribs never quite went stratospheric.
That’s not down to the quality of their respective music – the Jarman brothers, Gary (bass), Ryan (guitar) and Ross (drums), can write earthily rampant guitar anthems with the best of them. Wakefield’s finest were always more angular and intimate than the stadium packers Arctics became, gaining them an enthusiastic cult following.
Over the course of two-and-a-half decades and nine albums, they’ve worked with some of the best. Steve Albini, Edwyn Collins, and Alex Kapranos have produced records, while the legendary Johnny Marr did a three-year stint as a member.
The trio very much know what they’re about, and it’s not complicated, but is finessed on their new release, Selling a Vibe, by former Chairlift member Patrick Wimberly’s production.
Dark Luck is a staccato opener, followed by the waltzy title track. It’s on the third song on the album, A Point Too Hard to Make, that The Cribs truly come alive. Subtle synths – possibly Wimberly’s influence – complement a trademark emotional Jarman banger.
The wistfulness of wiser middle age percolates throughout. Jarringly jaunty lead single Never the Same has lyrics looking back at a broken past relationship, while Summer Seizures inserts Ryan’s familiar Yorkshire drawl into something hazy and melancholic.
It’s followed by the tender ballad Looking for the Wrong Guy before it’s back to familiar sing-along territory again with If Our Paths Never Crossed, Self-Respect, and You’ll Tell Me Anything.
There’s nothing new here, and not much that would look out of place on most Cribs albums from 2007’s Men’s Needs, Women’s Needs, Whatever onwards – when they began to smooth off the rough edges that defined their explosive first two records. Yet when the formula works as well as The Cribs’ does, why change too much?
In keeping with the album’s theme of maturing together, though, Selling a Vibe’s closing two tracks are more sedate and reflective.
Distractions allows Gary and Ryan to harmonise on shared vocals, with the result being a delicate masterpiece.
Brothers Won’t Break doesn’t quite match that, but has a poignant theme of fraternal defiance. It riffs off the trio’s struggles over the years, which have included legal wranglings and the inevitable arguments caused by a famously punishing touring schedule.
Selling a Vibe isn’t a great reinvention. But more than five years after their last record, it’s a welcome return for one of Britain’s best-loved – if not biggest – indie bands.
Mark Worgan
Image: Steve Gullick
Selling a Vibe is released on 9th January 2026. For further information or to order the album, visit The Cribs’s website here.
Watch the video for Never the Same here:
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