[dropcap style=”font-size:100px; color:#992211;”]C[/dropcap]arry The Crown have been going hard since their inception in 2016. But what does it take to to push the boundary of 20-teens Rock music?
After some significant local success with various press outlets, including several interactions with the BBC (before ascending into the line of sight of the real players), the Lincoln five-piece are poised to break new ground in the burgeoning UK rock scene with the release of ‘Not Alone’ – a five track EP that they hope to showcase as the best and brightest heading into what promises to be a loaded 2018 for the band.
The band have used comparisons such as Don Broco or You Me At Six, to give a sense of the style of music they create. I’d instead suggest those are more comparisons to the bracket in which this band should belong. From their image and social media presence, down to the production quality on their recordings and videos, Carry The Crown clearly want to show they belong in the big leagues. Maybe they should.
By releasing ‘Not Alone’, they’ve made a clear statement that they mean business. You get influences from the post Pop-Punk world we find ourselves in, but there’s definitely a modern Rock edge. It reads like a logical progression of genres. Lead single ‘Fire’ was released in December, kickstarting the record cycle as a great song to lead with. It’s the clear winner on a record of well-written contemporary Rock songs.
After hearing the rest of the record, there are two noteworthy and upbeat tunes in ‘Say You’ll Stay’ and ‘Hometown’. These don’t quite reach the same height as ‘Fire’, though. The pace is slowed down somewhat with the ballad-eqsue ‘Eyes’, and you get a late 2000’s feeler in ‘Hold Me’ – evocative of something you’d expect to hear from The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. Both are good songs. I went into this listening experience with the expectation of a banger from front to back – instead, the band have proven their versatility as songwriters. Not a bad thing at all.
What I think we have with ‘Not Alone’ is an offering from a band poised to reach the next level in their musical journey. Overall, the songwriting shows promise. The choruses are well written, the lyrics are simple and easy to catch on to, but what I think these guys are missing is a mega hit that will give newcomers access to a vibrant back-catalogue. Keep your eyes on Carry The Crown. There’s promise to do great things and I for one can’t wait to see just how big a year 2018 will be for them.
‘Not Alone’ is available now from the usual outlets.
