Crow Eats Man’s self titled debut EP is the musical child of the hardest elements of the grunge scene in the 90’s. There are echoes of Alice in Chains, with some Soundgarden, Stone Temple Pilots and Rage Against the Machine thrown in. That recipe makes for melodic hard rock with an edge, and in a time where too many bands draw inspiration from the 70’s, it’s refreshing to hear something different.
Crow Eats Man hails from Mountain View, California, and the five musicians have been together since 2016. Their songwriting is excellent, with every song featuring catchy melodies and tasty guitar riffs. The production is top quality, and manages an intimate feel that makes you feel you’re sitting in their rehearsal room. The 5 tracks that make up the EP all have a different vibe, and show different facets of their musical identity. We’ve heard it before, but it’s cool to hear it again, and it’s very well done on every level.
The opening track ‘Jaded’ sets the tone for the EP with a groovy guitar riff that leads to syncopated chords for the chorus. ‘Lost Son’ channels Alice in Chains with less doom and gloom, again building on a cool guitar riff that’ll make you bang your head along, whether or not you realize it. The atmosphere turns darker and mysterious on ‘Before Sunday’, a track where their influences all blend together, hinting at what their own fully developed sound might be like. ‘Dependit’ draws again inspiration from Alice in Chains, and this might be the least original track on the EP. but it’s not necessarily a bad thing when it’s done so well. The closing track, ‘Fresno Cigarette Run’ wraps up all the musical threads into one last song, and I felt kind of sad that the EP was over already.
This is the kind of debut album that puts a band on the radar, and I can’t wait to see what they do next. Judging form their band photo, they’re very young, but it’s amazing how slick their songwriting and musicianship are. Definitely a band to watch.
He's also a regular contributor at the excellent news site Montreal Rampage
- I bought one of those music Advent Calendars so you wouldn’t have to. - December 5, 2021
- The Music Addict’s Band Name Challenge - October 11, 2021
- Book review: Rainbow in the Dark: The Autobiography – Ronnie James Dio - September 24, 2021