The Cribs - “Night Network” Review

Story posted November 25, 2020 in CommRadio, Arts & Entertainment by Grace Muratore

Three years after their previous album, The Cribs are back with the release of their eighth studio album titled “Night Network.” Alternative, rock and indie sounds are all wrapped up into this much-anticipated album.

The British indie rock band is composed of three brothers (Gary Jarman, Ryan Jarman and Ross Jarman) who are originally from Wakefield, West Yorkshire. The trio launched their music career in 2001 and soon began playing at various venues, such as clubs and parties, which helped their career take off.

Despite the excitement from critics around the world, “Night Network” fails to deliver a diverse and unique line-up. The album opens with the lofty sounds of “Goodbye.” The song bids farewell to a “world that we can’t live in” and speaks of moving on towards bigger things.

“Goodbye” starts the album off with a catchy beat produced by the drums and the electric guitar. The confident beat is powerful yet misleading, as almost every song that follows this opening track sounds the same.

The instrumentals are consistent throughout the album, clearly favoring pulsing beats created by the drums and riffs produced by the electric guitar. Many songs could run together if listeners aren’t paying attention to when a song ended and another one began.

“Running Into You” follows after “Goodbye” with a heavy rock and roll beat. It is reminiscent of many 1980s sounds with its rock and roll and metal characteristics. The vocals throughout this song are high-pitched and shrieky, giving off high-school garage band vibes. Unfortunately for The Cribs, the vibe is frequent throughout “Night Network.”

If there is one thing The Cribs did well, it is the lyrical content of the album. Various themes discussed in “Night Network” include trying to find oneself, moving on from a troublesome past and various encounters with a mystery lover.

“She’s My Style” explains the feeling of realizing when someone is a perfect match while “Earl & Duke” describes the sorrowful feeling of having to leave someone. “I Don’t Know Who I Am” explores the hopeless and lonely feeling of trying to rediscover oneself.

Underneath the loud drums and pitchy vocals, the lyrics in the album are quite intricate. The Cribs are able to successfully describe common feelings and experiences, allowing listeners to connect and find similarities between themselves and the band.

This album would have a lot more potential if more creativity had been given to the individual songs. At surface level, the album is repetitive and has no complexity. Listeners must pay close attention to be able to hear the well-crafted lyrics over the roaring drums and guitar.

Other than the differences in lyrical content, the album is repetitive in its instrumentals and presents no originality in its composition.

Rating: 4/10

Reviewer’s Favorite Song: N/A

Reviewer’s Least Favorite Songs: “Running Into You” and “She’s My Style”

Grace Muratore is sophomore majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, email gem5301@psu.edu.

About the Contributors

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Grace Muratore

Junior / Broadcast Journalism

Grace Muratore is a third-year student from Fredericksburg, Virginia majoring in broadcast journalism and minoring in Spanish. She is a writer for the CommRadio arts & entertainment department, and works within the production department creating elements for various sporting events. Grace also is a field reporter and part of the studio crew for PSNtv, Penn State’s biweekly news show. Currently, she is interning with Penn State Athletics doing live video production. If you would like to contact Grace, email her at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).