At least, if you’re familiar with TikTok, you’ll have come across the catchy middle eight from “Come Over (Again)” that went viral and catapulted them to notoriety. Loud Without Noise is their first project since then, tasked with consolidating the band’s success and proving they aren’t just ‘that bridge from TikTok trend’.
The record opens with two of its singles: “I Can’t Drive” and “Fuck Me (I Didn’t Know How To Say)”. “I Can’t Drive” points to the band’s pedigree of grown up emo kids, with Holly Minto’s angst-driven sermon on lost love and mental health delivered from the front seat of a metaphorical car. “Fuck Me (I Didn’t Know How To Say)” is more subdued, ruminating on consent and the complicated feelings that can elicit.
Having already set out their stall as bravely personal songwriters, “Feminist Radical” makes their political streak known too. Restless and raging, Minto rails against stolen innocence and structural inequalities to a racket of drums and guitar. “Too Soon” follows with an unexpected bid to be the record’s standout: its lyrics aren’t as achingly raw, allowing for the earworm melody to shine instead.
Loud Without Noise closes out with “I Don’t Want It” and “Hang Me Like Jesus”. While the former is a fun but fairly inconspicuous dance number, the latter is the biggest surprise so far. Set to gentle acoustics, “Hang Me Like Jesus” is a long and sorrowful look at identity. If they were out to prove their versatility, this is where they’ve managed it.
Across this six-track mixtape, CRAWLERS are both intimate and cathartic - demonstrating that they’re better than they were and still have places to grow. Choruses could feel more anthemic; the rhythm section could punch you in the gut a little harder. But that doesn’t take much away from a solid record that should come into its own with a live crowd connection.
