24–7 Rock Star Shit is the seventh studio album by English band The Cribs. It was released in August 2017 under Sonic Blew, a partner label of Sony RED. The album is the band's second album recorded at Electrical Audio with producer Steve Albini, following the recording of "Chi-Town" from 2012's In the Belly of the Brazen Bull. The album has been described as a back-to-basics return to the band's early punk/grunge sound in contrast to the more pop-driven sound of their previous album For All My Sisters.
| 24–7 Rock Star Shit | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 11 August 2017 | |||
| Studio | Electrical Audio, Chicago | |||
| Genre | Punk rock,[1] grunge[2] | |||
| Length | 36:16 | |||
| Label | Sony RED/Sonic Blew | |||
| Producer | Steve Albini | |||
| The Cribs chronology | ||||
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| Singles from 24/7 Rock Star Shit | ||||
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Background
editAfter collaborating with producer Steve Albini for the song "Chi-Town" on their 2012 album In the Belly of the Brazen Bull, many had speculated that the band would be recording a full LP with the producer. In a 2015 interview with NME, Ryan Jarman commented on their plans to finish an album with Albini having a third of the album already recorded.[3] The band initially decided to carry on working on songs scrapped during the Brazen Bull sessions with Albini for a potential EP, however they found themselves with enough material for a full LP.[4] The album was recorded within 5 days on analog tape with no overdubs or comping of tracks.[5]
In early 2017, the band embarked on a 10-year anniversary tour for their third album Men's Needs, Women's Needs, Whatever as well as re-releasing it on a special gold reissue vinyl via Wichita Recordings.[6] This sparked rumours of a new album from the band. On May 22, the band released a limited edition 7" to 24 independent record stores over 7 days featuring the new song "Year of Hate."[7] On June 2, the band released the track "In Your Palace" which was described by Dork as a "garage punk banger that's still got that sparkle in its eye."[8] On June 15, the band released a short clip on Twitter teasing release of new music the following day.[9] The following day they released the track "Year of Hate" onto digital platforms.[10]
The band officially announced the album alongside the release of the third single "Rainbow Ridge" on 24 July. The band also performed shows at Kingston's New Slang and London's House of Vans to coincide with the album's release.[11]
Critical reception
edit| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 68/100[12] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [13] |
| MusicOMH | [14] |
| Paste Magazine | 6.4/10[15] |
| Drowned in Sound | 8/10[1] |
| The Guardian | [2] |
| DIY | [16] |
| The Independent | [17] |
24–7 Rock Star Shit has received generally favorable reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 68 based on 13 reviews.[12]
Critics praised the band's return-to-basics and have described the album as "brilliant, scrappy, socially-conscious indie punk."[16] The album was described as rawer and less produced than the band's more recent releases returning to the band's "lo-fi roots."[14] Heather Phares from AllMusic compared the album's blend of melody and aggression to that of 1990s bands such as Weezer and Nirvana.[13] She also described the album as "more proof that the band's eternal tug of war between grit and polish still generates excitement." However, in a negative review, Andy Gill with The Independent said that despite the album's title being one of the all-time great rock 'n' roll titles, "lurking behind it is an album which struggles to fulfil such vagabond promise."
Accolades
edit| Publication | Accolade | Rank | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dork | Top 50 Albums of 2017 | 36
|
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Give Good Time" | 3:13 |
| 2. | "Year Of Hate" | 4:06 |
| 3. | "In Your Palace" | 4:18 |
| 4. | "Dendrophobia" | |
| 5. | "What Have You Done For Me?" | 3:27 |
| 6. | "Sticks Not Twigs" | 2:19 |
| 7. | "Rainbow Ridge" | 3:36 |
| 8. | "Partisan" | 2:48 |
| 9. | "Dead at the Wheel" | 4:55 |
| 10. | "Broken Arrow" | 4:35 |
Charts
edit| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Albums (OCC)[19] | 8 |
Personnel
editCredits adapted from the album's liner notes.[20]
- The Cribs
- Gary Jarman – bass guitar, vocals
- Ryan Jarman – guitar, vocals
- Ross Jarman – drums
- Additional personnel
- Steve Albini – producer, mixing
- Bob Weston – mastering engineer
- Chris Cooper – cover photo
- Shotaway – cover photo
- Steve Gullick – portraits
- Nick Scott – artwork, layout
- James Moodie – product manager
- Ali Tant – product manager
References
edit- ^ a b Goggins, Joe. "Album Review: The Cribs – 24/7 Rock Star Shit / Releases / Releases // Drowned in Sound". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 6 April 2019. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
- ^ a b Mackay, Emily (13 August 2017). "The Cribs: 24/7 Rock Star Shit review – irresistible raw energy". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
- ^ Cooper, Leonie (13 February 2015). "The Cribs: 'Steve Albini album is on the back burner'". NME. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
- ^ Day, Laurence. "The Cribs are releasing their infamous Steve Albini-recorded album". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
- ^ Gullick, Steve. "Interview: We chat 24–7 Rockstar Shit With Indie Legends The Cribs". Life Without Andy. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
- ^ "The Cribs announce UK 10th anniversary tour for 'Men's Needs, Women's Needs, Whatever". NME. 7 February 2017. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
- ^ "The Cribs – Year of Hate (Vinyl, 7", Single Sided, Single, Numbered, White Label)". Discogs. 22 May 2017. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
- ^ "The Cribs – In Your Palace". Dork. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
- ^ "The Cribs tease new music". NME. 15 June 2017. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
- ^ "The Cribs – Year of Hate". Dork. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
- ^ Reilly, Nick (24 July 2017). "The Cribs announce new album and release single 'Rainbow Ridge'". NME. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
- ^ a b "24–7 Rockstar Shit by The Cribs Reviews and Tracks – Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
- ^ a b Phares, Heather. "AllMusic Review". AllMusic.com. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
- ^ a b Lee, Tim (11 August 2017). "MusicOMH Review". Musicomh.com. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
- ^ Heisel, Scott (10 August 2017). "The Cribs: 24–7 Rock Star Shit Review". Pastemagazine.com. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
- ^ a b Richards, Will (11 August 2017). "The Cribs – 24–7 Rock Star Shit". DIY. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
- ^ Gill, Andy (10 August 2017). "Album reviews: Kesha – Rainbow, David Rawlings – Poor David's Almanack, Richard Thompson – Acoustic Classics II". The Independent. Archived from the original on 10 August 2017. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
- ^ "Dork's favourite fifty albums of 2017: 10–1". Readdork.com. 8 December 2017. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
- ^ "AllMusic Credits". AllMusic.com. Retrieved 23 February 2019.