Cool Band Alert - Crying Loser

Neu wave

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Name: Crying Loser
From: Cork, Ireland
Members: Arthur Pawsey (Guitars/Vocals), Micheál Fitzgerald (Bass), Ruarí De Búrca (Drums), Sam Clague (Bass Clarinet, Marimba)
RIYL: Contortions, Mofungo, The Fall, Ut, late period OSEES
The Gist: Zombie R&B band at the dystopian dance party

Improvisational art rock most definitely not for the faint of heart, Crying Loser’s full-length brings the skronk, the funk, and a frenzied apocalyptic atmosphere appropriate for Our Current Moment, landing somewhere between classic no wave and neu psychedelia in its most weirdo iteration. While surface level abrasiveness gleefully abounds and the vocalist “don’t sing he just shouts,” the Cork quartet do want to be liked, and so infuse their hectic songs with plenty of groove (“Do The Jerk”), squiggly intricacy (“Dem Jobs”), and humor to spare (“Isn’t It Better Than Staying In Bed”). They’re also apt to make production choices that break the fever somewhat, lending the songs heft and immediacy. For example, “Flesh Interface” features a reverberant hollowed out sound, as if the band were banging away deep in some rural culvert—very “follow the noise to the DIY venue” vibes if you catch my drift. And if ya don’t? Maybe you shouldn’t bother with this one.

The Ick is out April 24th on Trapped Animal Records. Pre-order it.

Dig this record and want more like it?

No wave is more than No New York; familiarize yourself with some outliers with this guide to the Tape #1 compilation. If you like this kind of music, you’ll love Erick Bradshaw’s Underground Medicine column, a monthly transmission covering all things underground, past and present. We also ran an ultra-long guide to the DIY scene of Cork, Ireland a few years ago—revisit that right here.

Listening Party Picks, April 23rd – April 29th

Come hang in the chat with artists celebrating their record release this week on Bandcamp.

April 23, Firmament for Reveries of a Forgotten Spirit. RSVP.
April 24, maps and diagrams for tone isolation. RSVP.
April 24, Vexagaon for I For An I. RSVP.
April 25, LIRYC NON STOP for Mörk Vågor. RSVP.
April 27, Calypso Records for Calypso Vol II. RSVP.
April 27, ugly ozo for dive ep. RSVP.

To see the full calendar, go here.