Crush - 'Chewed' Single Review

The bleak, trance like sound of Crush's Chewed makes for somewhat of an overwhelming listening experience. Within the single, there is too much going on. The singer, whilst very talented, makes the lyrics indistinguishable and I feel that this is a same because Crush seem like a very talented group. The song itself fades into the background if you're not playing close attention it because it's very difficult to concentrate on one aspect of it at any one time. Overall, I found it to be a gormless attempt from a band who are not quite sure what direction they want to go in, with the only saving grace being the obvious talent of the vocalist.

Chewed, the latest offering from Manchester based four piece crush sees the band take a different sonic direction. Leaning on dense instrumentation and texture Chewed discusses the vulnerability and rejection felt in a personal crisis.Formed in 2018 whilst studying at the British and Irish Modern Music Institute, crush have spent a number of years refining their distinctive sound.

During the pandemic, an abundance of free time allowed the band to find their musical feet, leaning into a spacier and darker shoegaze style, far removed from their dream pop tendencies heard on previous singles such as 'Glue' and 'All My Plants Are Dead'.Chewed is a song packed full of lush expansive guitar tones that woozily encapsulates the state of limbo often found whilst coming to terms with a breakdown in friendships and relationships. Amber Warren's delicate vocals glide through the track in an almost trance-like state, playfully bouncing off the melodic guitar.

Of the single, Warren explains: "We wrote Chewed during a period of self-reflection during lockdown. The lyrics are about coming to the realisation that some relationships in your life are bound to expire, but inevitably you find the right people for you. The track was also about developing our sound as a band, we wanted to experiment more and lean into our love of shoegaze.

The result of this was Chewed. "The first of a string of releases set across 2021, including both a single and an EP, it's clear crush are on track to take 2021 head on with their new found sound.