Crux – Rock Era Magazine

Empty Home by Crux

Hamza Sharkas — Sat, 02 Sep 2023 13:40:51 +0000

Something everyone in the world can relate to…is the 2 years we lost during the lockdown…we keep thinking we’re 2 years earlier…don’t you do it?

Newcastle, England based band Crux decided to materialize their emotions and convey them to the world through their latest single “Empty Home”…a very aptly titled song, because for me, the world felt like it was empty…maybe that’s how I feel it at least.

…and with their distinct alt rock approach, Crux managed to put us in that place of mind with their music and lyrics…especially the lyrics here, they kind of literally puts us exactly where Crux wants us to be…with lines like “This house was once full of life and now it’s void, Time has stopped as the structure slowly sinks”.

The song has a general melancholic feel to it…with some emotional parts and other heavier parts…but even the vocals convey the melancholic emotion…

Clean and soft guitars play rhythmically…drums are not overpowered and also melodic…

Soft synths play in the background…

Even the music itself is soft and emotional on both the ears and heart.

…there are some heavy moments here and there that have been masterfully crafted for storytelling reasons…the track ascends in energy to a climax…then leaves us vulnerable once again at the very end of “Empty Home”…and the soft guitars say goodbye.

“Empty Home” is an emotional and heartfelt journey into a period of time that affected the whole human race. It is a highly recommended listen and a fantastic musical and lyrical experience.

“Empty Home” was recorded at Blank Studios and produced by Sam Grant from Pigs x7.

We wish Crux all the best in the world…and can’t wait to experience what they come up with next.

Cheers!

EP: Save Me by Crux

Amgad Mahmoud — Thu, 22 Dec 2022 10:42:01 +0000

The flow of the air in a city or a town isn’t nature-generated, but its soulful exhales and inhales fueled by enthusiasm is the wind director in one of the warmest, most passionate cities in the world, Newcastle.

If you’re a football fan you probably have heard of Newcastle through the legendary club Newcastle United, but if you’re not you would be pleased to have heard of Newcastle through its emerging local alternative rock band The Crux.

As brilliant as the Magpies are on the field, The Crux are inspiring on stage and in the studio, releasing their EP “Save Me” which is a humanity letter sent out to the ones with stocked-up wallets telling them that they should end this suffer the world is in.

The Crux are Jake Waldock (lead guitar), Hallam Press (bass), and Elliot Ormston (drums and percussion).

“Save Me” begins with an electronic key vibing out a challenging post-modern theme, giving reasons for the rich to save us, then the guitars and drums hit to rack us up on the road of hope in a change.

The vocals in the EP are very clear and wonderfully emotive that it connect you to the concept of needing some saving make you join the protest.

“Specialist Jewellery” is the emotional romantic track in the EP as its instrumental, yet it sounds so post-rock though its not. And the guitar riff is very catchy that its almost identical to Coldplay’s ‘Clocks’ which also connects you to some of the long lost tracks in the dusty parts of a memory.

As much as I love Newcastle United, I guess I just heard my favorite band in Newcastle ,and I now know what I might do if I went to Newcastle besides watching the Toon playing, watching The Crux playing will be my thing there too.

I’m impatiently waiting for the upcoming releases by The Crux, HOWAY THE LADS!

Radgie Gadgie by Crux

Akram Soliman — Tue, 20 Dec 2022 19:24:45 +0000

If I ever told you that someone implemented progressive and complex song-writing elements into punk rock you’d think I’m going insane. Punk rock has always been about that punch and that wall of sound that hits you with intensity and ferocity, and Newcastle-based rockers Crux didn’t compromise any of those elements when they developed a hybrid style between prog and punk. Their latest single, Radgie Gadgie, is British slang for a violent man who bullies others and perpetuates vulgar and violent manners (AKA toxic masculinity). The lyrics of this song depict this character very accurately. Moreover, the processing of the vocals and their power suit the angsty mood of the song very well. The verses maintain enough melody, even though they are yelled in typical nostalgic punk tradition. The guitar tone is so on point that it delivers this catastrophic feeling as if the “radgie gadgie” is making a dramatic entrance into your street, and I love how the songwriting can stimulate such visual cues with no need for a music video. I never thought I would hear a punk song utilizing keyboard/synth sounds in such a percussive way to support its bass and drum lines. In the bridge section of the song, there is an intermission which seems to be a fight on the metro that the radgie gadgie got involved in, followed by some amazing screamed vocals, followed by a fast-paced outro verse that perfectly ends the song with both heaviness and complexity. This is not your standard verse-chorus-verse, but it’s also still easy to follow and I’m sure it will be a crowd-pleaser amongst punks and rockers regardless of their music taste. Kudos to Crux for delivering exactly what they promised with this perfect blend of prog and punk that a lot of people wouldn’t have thought possible before.