The Cribs have shared an EP of the early Gordon Raphael sessions for their new album ‘Selling A Vibe’.
The Wakefield indie trio released their ninth studio album last week (January 9) via Sonic Blew/PIAS, with the final record having been produced by ex-Chairlift member Patrick Wimberley (Beyoncé, Ellie Goulding, Lil Yachty).
As Ryan Jarman told NME last year, though, the initial sessions for the album took place in Leeds with Raphael, who famously produced The Strokes’ legendary first album ‘Is This It’ and its follow-up ‘Room On Fire’. Jarman said the resulting tracks “sounded great”, but the band had already committed to trying something “less comfortable” for this project, eventually settling on the more pop-oriented touch of Wimblerley.
On Thursday (January 15), the band gave fans the chance to hear both versions, however. In an Instagram post, they said: “As part of our final day push towards the charts, we have made our ‘Gordon Raphael Sessions’ EP available as part of a digital deluxe version of the album.”
The band added that the Raphael versions “capture these songs in early and pure form”, and you can find them now on major streaming platforms.
NME awarded ‘Selling A Vibe’ four stars, writing: “The brothers’ raw, almost-breaking vocals are in full force on ‘A Point Too Hard To Make’, while the one-two of ‘Never The Same’ and ‘Summer Seizures’ – the former, a Beatles-y jangler; the latter, an air-punching slow burn – take classic Jarman qualities but add the lyrical wisdom that only comes with time. It’s the work of a group who’ve managed to grow up without losing their spark. On ‘Selling A Vibe’, the trio are still finding new ways to sound like The Cribs – and that’s a more impressive and unusual feat than it might first appear.”
The album landed at Number Five in the UK Albums Chart on its first week of release yesterday (January 16), the highest placing of their career. It finished behind Olivia Dean’s ‘The Art Of Loving’, and records by Blue and Zach Bryan and a greatest hits record from Fleetwood Mac.
Elsewhere, Ryan Jarman revealed this week that a guitar that was stolen from him over 20 years ago was later discovered in the hands of The 1975 and Beabadoobee.
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