Looking back over the past decade it seems that few bands have been as consistently underrated and underappreciated as Crywank. A band mostly known for their 2015 album ‘Tomorrow is nearly yesterday and every day is stupid’. Which is probably the definitive Crywank album in that it’s a loose collection of lo-fi acoustic recordings in James Claytons’ distinctively snarky, funny, self hating style. Yet why their vastly superior follow up ‘Don’t piss on me i’m already dead’ hasn’t eclipsed its success remains a mystery. Over the past few years Crywank have gained a cult following across the world yet mainstream success has always eluded them. Which brings us to 2020 where Crywank’s final album dropped on bandcamp’s no fee day alongside countless other releases. ‘Fist me..’ Is the last album Crywank will ever release coinciding with their first and last world tour. It’s not hard to see why Crywank would want to call it a day as the two have lived a hermit-like lifestyle over the past few years and until recently having a strict DIY ethic. It's a shame that Crywank never got to outgrow their cult status, but if they wanted to be huge they probably wouldn’t have called themselves Crywank.
Since ‘Don’t piss on me Crywank’s albums have become more and more eccentric and ‘Fist’ is the culmination of that. A double album of sorts split into songs by drummer Dan and guitarist James. ‘Fist...’ is the kind of album a band can only make once they completly stop giving a fuck about what anyone may think of them. While the first batch of songs are mostly in the typical Crywank mould the second half is made up of experimental electronic pieces and basically whatever the fuck they felt like doing that day. Putting a finger up to anyone who thought they had Crywank figured out. Yet crack open the egg and there is more to this record than it might seem. In Dan’s words “boiled down it talks about how a symbiotic relationship can go stinky and smelly in the middle, but you carry on with it regardless”. ‘Fist me follows in the grand tradition of bands airing their dirty laundry in their lyrics. It also follows the tradition of bands using the double album format to experiment as much as possible. Much like the Beatles White album or maybe even Plastic Ono band*. The opening Saga ‘I love you but I’ve chosen me’ is recognisably Crywank, even if it is some of the most ambitious material they’ve ever written. But once you hear ‘The Best’ you're jolted into a different universe. The following tracks get stranger and more surreral, each one a stark contrast from the track before it. It’s this mix of heart, eccentricity and puerile humour that ensures Crywank will be sorely missed. They’ve left behind them a diverse catalogue of lo-fi madness that will enthrall fans for years to come. If this is the end for Crywank, they’ve done it in the most Crywank way possible. I wish the best for whatever James and Dan decide to do next
*Tbh I’ve never listened to either of these records. Fuck John Lennon.
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