Crows An Wra announce new LP 'Kalopsia'

Crows An Wra

I have no idea if this is the way the Big Boys tend to do it, but when bands we like approach us about releases I almost categorically agree to putting them out before even hearing the tiniest snippet of a track. Call it bad business sense, but I feel pretty vindicated about this way of doing things when we get sent a record like the new Crows An Wra album, Kalopsia.

It’s really tough to write objectively about music written by your friends and released on your own label, but honestly, this is one of the most exciting and interesting albums that you’ll hear from a UK punk band this year. Maybe ever.

From the ominous, looming intro on “Perseus” to the jittering spidery guitars and raucous drums on “Vibrant Colours”, the Cornwall foursome absolutely nail within the first five minutes of the record the sound they’d been hinting at from the start. It’s ambitious and diverse, yet entirely coherent, pushing the boundaries of their sound in all sorts of different directions without anything ever sounding out of place.

New bassist Jason White (long-time Barely Regal pal and guitarist for Holland) brings a lot to the table, holding tracks together with rumbling low-end while giving the guitars room to spiral away, and the solid engineering work by PROducer Lewis Johns (Gnarwolves/Goodtime Boys/Bastions) really brings out the best in the band.

There’s a looming intro, there’s a crushing outro, there are various little musical motifs that recur throughout the record, there’s even an acoustic interlude at one point…I could seriously rant about how great this album is for hours. But why subject you to my senseless ramblings any more than necessary when you could just give the record a listen and make up your own mind, stream/download the whole thing here.

And if you like what you hear you can pre-order the record here for a mere 10 beans, which seems pretty reasonable for 9 new tracks of prog punk perfection pressed on heavyweight vinyl with artwork (like, an actual painting) from Justin Nelson, if I do say so myself.