Selling A Vibe [LP], The Cribs, Vinyl

Brothers won’t break. Not these brothers, at least – Gary, Ryan and Ross Jarman, known collectively as The Cribs. After two decades and nine albums as one of Britain’s best-loved bands, the Wakefield-born siblings have weathered enough storms to realise that an indestructible bond exists between them. That bond is at the heart of Selling A Vibe – their bold new album, produced by MGMT and Caroline Polachek collaborator Patrick Wimberley, and an unapologetic celebration of family. The last Cribs album, Night Network, looked to the world like a triumph, but separated by the pandemic, the brothers reflected on what their relationship had become. “In the beginning, we were brothers who had a band. And I think we realised we’d become a band that happened to be brothers,” says Ryan. The record features bittersweet anthems like “Distractions,” the danceable “Self Respect,” and the hazardously catchy “A Point Too Hard To Make.” Wimberley helped the group adopt contemporary pop recording techniques for the first time, pushing their sound in new directions. Selling A Vibe closes with “Brothers Won’t Break,” a song about being in a band with your brothers, and owning what that means. “There’s something special about being in The Cribs with them,” says Gary.