The Cribs - Selling A Vibe [CD]

After two decades and nine albums as one of Britain’s best-loved bands, the Wakefield-born siblings have weathered enough storms, onstage and off, to realise that an indestructible bond exists between them. For years, it’s fizzed beneath the surface of their sound, perforating every thrash of guitar, every snap of snare, every impassioned vocal, roared back at them at live shows by sweat-drenched, devoted crowds. But rarely have the band acknowledged this bond out loud. “It’s not something we ever really said to each other explicitly,” admits bassist and lead vocalist Gary. That all changed, however, with the creation of Selling A Vibe – their bold new album, which captures The Cribs at their bottle-rocket energetic best.  Produced by MGMT and Caroline Polachek collaborator Patrick Wimberly, Selling A Vibe is an unapologetic celebration of family. It’s about finding your way back to health with help from those loved ones, the band explain. “On our first records, we were just writing about our individual experiences. That’s a really verdant field of inspiration, but as you go along, life points you towards bigger things to write about,” says Gary. “But this time, I realised when I was writing the lyrics that all of the songs were really rooted in family.”