The four members of Crumb met at Tufts University in Boston a few years ago, forming as a vehicle for Lila Ramanis songwriting. later they hit with this self-released debut album Jinx, inspired by their meteoric rise, a near fatal car accident and the production sound of . At every turn on Jinx the crew churn out dazzling psych pop snacks without ever becoming predictable, and although were reminded of similarly cute and young bands like and , its clear that arent at all concerned with creating the perfect pop song. For every memorable riff or sugary vocal on Jinx, theres a jazzy modulation / tempo change (Part III) or detuned synth buzzing like an angry wasp (And It Never Ends) to disorient you. Ramanis gliding vocals on Nina and Fall Down vaguely recall s lackadaisical meanderings, albeit backed with more imaginative / less claustrophobic instrumentation. You could draw connections to or , but I honestly think Crumb are too young to have been inspired by (or rip off) those bands, so the results of their psych / jazz / pop stew are refreshingly original (all of my heroes are people I know, sings Ramani on Faces). A less European / more weeded version of , maybe. Check out Ghostride M.R. Cracking, Jinx, Faces and bonus track Better which you wont find on digital versions of the album. Recommended.
- blackvinyl pressing
- containsexclusive bonus track 'Better'
- printed foldoutlyric insert
- music label:Crumb Records 2019
