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Review: Crybaby - We're Supposed To Be In Love [EP]

Helium Records // "The Smiths found beauty (and tightly crafted pop tunes) in the darkness but I’m not sure Crybaby has got nearer to that goal&q

by ivarmac, September 25th, 2012 and has been Read 393 times.
Last Edited by: Chris MUG5 Maguire September 27th, 2012.

Crybaby are a Bristolian outfit with a Smiths-focused preference for gloomy guitar pop. The comparisons don’t end there with We’re Supposed To Be In Love but don’t do them any good in the end, despite some lush instrumentation and interesting ideas.

In a nutshell, We’re Supposed To Be In Love is an EP of jangling, edgy guitar tunes backed by the detached, morose voice of singer Danny Coughlan. Single ‘We’re Supposed to Be In Love’ is short, simple and sharp and all the better for it. The languid style of the vocals suit the snappy, introspective lyrics and contrast well with the energetic beat.

‘Water to Wine’ fares much worse, turning into a soupy track against stacks of reverb that's just, well, a little dull. The addition of a string section brings some nice moments but the pounding drums and discordant stabs of a guitar were threatening to give me a headache by the end. ‘True Love Will Find You In The End’ is better and the surf guitar riffs and laidback rhythms give way to a neat little tune. It’s by far the highlight of the EP, although the rhythm guitars get bogged down in the mix, and a signpost for the sharp, contained songs that are undoubtedly Crybaby's strongpoint.

‘Gloomy Sunday’ is exactly that and the Billie Holiday cover starts to grate all too quickly. Crybaby get points for atmosphere in soft, sparse instrumentation and the welcome addition of a piano but it’s forgettable, over before you know it.

So there are comparisons to be made and none moreso than the aforementioned The Smiths / Morrissey influence. Crybaby DO have their own sound, but it’s all over the place. The Smiths found beauty (and tightly crafted pop tunes) in the darkness but I’m not sure Crybaby has got nearer to that goal with We’re Supposed To Be In Love.

We're Supposed To Be In Love is available now