Directed by Samuel Taylor, Crows have shared their new video for ‘Wednesday’s Child’, a track taken from their debut album ‘Silver Tongues’, which was released last month.
“After seeing Crows live a few years back, I was instantly taken in by their live show that even those who have witnessed can barely describe,” states Taylor. “My closest approximation was possession. If as the band and the audience had been taken by the devil and formed one screaming organism. Quite a Tuesday night, but it was clear, once it came time to do a vid for the guys (especially with a track written about the Salem Witch Trials) that this first and visceral experience was going to lead the story.”
‘Wednesday’s Child’ from our debut album, ‘Silver Tongues’, out now on Balley Records.
London’s Crows are the latest signing to Balley Records (Idles, Heavy Lungs, Lice) and deliver their long-awaited debut album Silver Tongues. Upon emerging in 2015, they quickly solidified their reputation as one of the most exciting new live bands in the UK, putting on a series of wild-eyed, chaotic gigs that left you bruised but, ultimately, bewitched. A single and two EPs reinforced their power, but then there was nothing but a concerning break in service.
The north Londoners’ longawaited debut album ‘Silver Tongues’ reintroduces the four-piece, reminding us why Crows were so exciting when they first bludgeoned their way into our lives. The album’s thrilling first single Chain Of Being is a real statement: a widescreen slice of post-punk that combines heaviness and brooding melody in equal measures.
Their knack for writing lurching, dark, and frenetic pit-openers such as ‘Hang Me High’ and ‘Crawling’. But it’s the second half of the record that shows how they’ve grown in the interim, bringing surprising shifts and dynamic dives into enthralling new territory. Chain Of Being’, a song about relying on religion as a crutch, is bright and expansive; dizzying, soaring, sky-blue atmospherics woven into its uncluttered core. ‘First Light // False Face’ clocks in at nearly eight minutes long and morphs from quiet, vulnerable soundscape punctuated by heaving sighs and frontman James Cox dropping his voice sinisterly low. This segues seamlessly into album closer ‘Dysphoria’, which draws out Steve Goddard’s droning guitar wall of noise, reinforces it with bassist Jith Amarasinghe and drummer Sam Lister’s precise, crunching rhythm section, and moulds it into something emotional and glowing.
Lyrically, the band set themselves apart from others, too, taking you on a journey through the curious crevices of Cox’s mind. Much of the album was inspired by research wormholes he found himself down, exploring things such as Dante’s Divine Comedy the grinding ‘Empyrean’ and the snakeskin trade, as told from the perspective of a snake ‘Hang Me High’. ‘Crawling’ focuses on Margaret Thatcher’s funeral, building itself into a tightly wound coil that springs apart with the singer’s wails of “Leave her in the ground”
‘Silver Tongues ‘ from our debut album ‘Silver Tongues’ out now on Balley Records
London’s Crows are the latest signing to Balley Records (IDLES, Heavy Lungs, Lice) and will deliver their long-awaited debut album “Silver Tongues” on March 22nd. The album’s thrilling first single “Chain Of Being”, this week’s Lamacq’s Livener on 6 Music, is a real statement: a widescreen slice of post-punk that combines heaviness and brooding melody in equal measures.
Joe Talbot said the following of his decision to sign Crows to his Balley Records label:
“I saw them play at the Louisiana in Bristol a few years ago and both the performance and the quality of their songs blew me away. Everything about them excites me; so when I heard they were looking to release an album, I had no choice but to chase them. It’s a dream to work with them.”
Crows formed in 2015 and have since built a considerable following for the intensity of their live shows which have seen the band members break bones as well as instruments. Supporting the likes of Girl Band and Wolf Alice in the past, the band will take their deafening live show on the road in support of IDLES for their sell out April tour.
With a string of successful singles and EPs under their belt, “Silver Tongues” has been a long while coming. Recorded in near total darkness to build a sense of atmosphere, the album fulfills both their early potential and confidently showcases a band comfortable across a variety of sonic avenues. From the monolithic noise-rock of the title track and opener, to the sky-scraping “Demeanour” and “Wednesday’s Child”, to the blissed-out closer “Dysphoria”, each listen reveals new layers, fresh ideas.
“Silver Tongues” is a huge step forward for the band, not only musically, but emotionally. A touring band who have been through so much already, this album rightly took time: now, both Crows and the listener can reap the rewards for their patience. Crows are:
James Cox (vocals)
Steve Goddard (guitar)
Jith Amarasinghe (bass)
Sam Lister (drums)
We thought we might never say this, but today we announce our debut album, ‘Silver Tongues’ due March 22nd out on Balley Records. Thank you so much for your patience and everyone that’s stuck with us – you can listen to the first single, ‘Chain Of Being’ right now.
Having ploughed their way across the UK and beyond for a few years now with their incendiary live show, Crows have become a hardened force to be reckoned with.
Their determination and sheer riotousness live has now paid off, with Joe Talbot of Idles signing them up to his new label Balley Records. With their debut album ‘Silver Tongues’ on the way, lead single ‘Chain of Being’ has been released into the world, and it’s a bracing, impactful new chapter for the band. The track is an all encompassing take, showing Crows at their most impassioned, streamlined and climactic yet. It melodically snaps in its caustic nature, channeling their intense live set into something that, as it’s momentous finale attests, is monumental in its resonance.
The Fat Angel Sings 