The Cribs: The new record addresses a lot of unexorcised demons

Back to an original three-piece, The Cribs are set to release the fifth album of their decade-long career, and the first since the departure of honorary member Johnny Marr this Spring. Singer/guitarist and drummer Ryan and Ross Jarman chat about working with celebrated engineer Steve Albini, legendary producer Dave Fridmann and the direction of the band, post Marr.

What was it like working with Steve Albini?

Ross: It was great. We really liked his work ethic, it was just like being back in the band when we just started. You just turn up, plug it in, there’s no messing around with sound or overdubs, you just record it live.

Ryan: We’d always intended on working with Steve because he’s undoubtedly my favourite engineer. The whole idea of the record is to get back to the original ethos of the band. All the bands sort of live together, he’s got dormitories and things. It’s like some sort of boot camp. You can’t go to Albinis studio and have an ego and be a rockstar, it’s never going to work.

Why did you decide to work with Dave Fridmann as well as Albini?

Ryan: The main reason was because he recorded Pinkerton by Weezer which was one of my favourites. I loved that record and a lot of the reason was because I loved the sound. We went in the same way with Albini and recorded live. You can put Daves songs and Steves song on the record and they blend quite seamlessly.

We were just trying to get back to the original ethos of the band and just wanted to work with all the people that we wanted. The whole cohesiveness of making a record with one person isn’t that important, as long as the record has a vibe – which it does – then it overrides the difference in the sonics.

Would you say that Johnny Marrs departure has something to do with getting back to the original ethos of The Cribs?

Ryan: Not necessarily, I think that with the third record, if we were to say one of our records crossed over that would be it. So, maybe subconsciously we ended up deviating slightly from the original pattern. Obviously, it was good working with Johnny, but when Johnny left it felt sort of like the rebirth of the band.

I guess that sound has just come out in Chi-Town…

Ryan: Yeah, I mean because we were back to a three piece we were thinking how we were when we first started. We wrote all the record in Ross’ garage as well, so it felt the same.On the last record we were rehearsing at Johnny’s house in his studio. Even though it was fun, it wasn’t how we started out. It was nice to go back to the original way of doing stuff. It has an effect on the music as well, because there isn’t any gear in there, the sound is all naturally stripped back.

What has influenced the new record?

Ryan: A lot of the things I was writing about were wondering what I’d be doing if I wasn’t in the band. This is our tenth year of being in the band and it’s so weird to think about. It’s something that I’d always be doing and I don’t want to get away from it because it is my life. But some of my lyrics are about what I’d be doing if I wasn’t in the band. I always liked the idea of going back to college. Before Johnny left, I called up a couple of colleges and asked if I could enroll and I was starting to go through that process. But then Johnny left and I just wanted to write another record straight away.

With Chi-Town, I used to live there and I have a lot of unexorcised demons from those periods. I feel like I’m addressing a lot of things on this record that in the past I’ve tried not to be too specific about.

Do you guys still keep in touch with Johnny?

Ross: Yeah, I mean you spend so much time with someone they end up becoming your best friend.

Ryan: When Gary gets here tomorrow, there’s talk of us going over to see Johnny and play him the record. We split up on very good terms and it’s weird… it was quite emotional, you know. It was a big deal. When the story gets out there it gets deviated by so many people, and you need to go back and reaffirm your relationships in a proper way. People, maybe unwittingly, can really stir things. But during that time we’ve always maintained contact just to make sure everyone’s aware of the fact that there isn’t any bad blood. We’re really happy being a three piece and I’m sure Johnny is happy being solo, so there’s really no reason for us not to remain friends.

What should fans expect from the new record?

Ryan: I don’t think they should listen to Chi-Town and think it’s all going to be like that. The next song that people will hear will be two and a half minutes long, so it is still kind of in that vein. But, then we have a 15 minute song split into a four song piece. But, one thing that’s for certain is that the spirit of the first few records is back and people should expect some familiarity with that.

Check out The Cribs new single Chi-Town here.

In the Belly of the Brazen Bull will be released by Wichita Records on 8 May.

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