Crush - All My Plants Are Dead (Single Review)
Crush's new track 'All My Plants Are Dead' is a charming journey into a neo-psychedelic landscape popping with melody, a mist of fuzz, and ethereal vocals which make for a sublime cocktail at the end of it
The four-piece shoegaze outfit from Manchester, Chrush, caught and kept my attention after team member Evie Barrand brought them onto my radar. I was instantly hit with connections to The Cure, Slowdive, and even a little bit of Sonic Youth. Yet, all in all, Crush sound more contemporary than a nostalgia trip back to bands like that, fusing the general feel of Bedroom-Pop with its fuzzier cousin Shoegaze. Shoegaze has always fascinated me; someone once had the wonderful idea of pushing guitar distortion to the point that instead of sounding heavier and more aggressive, like some may think, it actually creates a swirling sonic landscape and is really satisfying to listen to when you chill out. Shoegaze has always represented excess and minimalism at the same time, and that paradox has always been fascinating to me. So how does Crush's new single All My Plants Are Dead fair up?
It's impressive, written with pop sensibilities in mind, Crush has crafted something equally as fresh as it is familiar. Filled with super catchy guitar riffs which move the momentum of Crush's controlled ambience along with ease. They remain dynamic, even while exploring a textured landscape and this really solidifies the aforementioned pop sensibilities. The highlight for me was the unexpected spoken-word interlude style breakdown of the song. In which Amber delivers a sort of anti-ASMR, which is drenched in either fuzz or a high pass filter, and yet it remains really relaxing to my soul. They consolidate their stay with an exquisite outro for All My Plants Are Dead and then the song ends, and I certainly yearned for its return (so I played it again).
I wish I could decipher all of the lyrics to really emotionally invest me into the song. From what I've gathered thus far, I have devised two theories about the nature of the track. Either an indirect critique on climate change - "All my plants are dead" - or using it as a bittersweet metaphor for a wilted love. I'd be inclined towards the latter, but I know it's probably way off. I also think it's notable to mention that I think part of the appeal on the song is the ethereal vocals and I understand due to that the lyrics may be harder to work out. Unfortunately, because of this, my emotional connection to it is probably more subjective and uneven than it would be if I could dig into the lyrics. So I would conclude that, although I've got my theories on what the protagonist is feeling, I think approaching it as you would an abstract painting in a gallery would be preferred way of enjoying this song. They've done the painting and you can project what you want on their aural environment.
I know I've praised this track in particular for its pop sensibilities, but in the future I hope the band presents something more expansive. Furthermore, I hope they explore setting the atmosphere up with some more swell and experimentation with the sonic landscape. Though overall I'm thoroughly impressed, with any critique I've got on the production being rendered useless because I truly believe that's part of their charm. Crush sound equally fresh and nostalgic, equally relaxing and energetic, equally dynamic and misty. And, for all of those endearing paradoxes, I highly recommend them and they will certainly be staying on my radar.
4/5
For fans of - Van Houten, Bdrmm, Tinnies with the Reaper, Must
Listen to the full song on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/track/7wN04wvhMsrsbblXFUFpSh?si=qryLZmfISNmqaNHVgVjhlw
Find Crush on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/crushbanduk/
- Written by Joshua Ingham.