In Olivia Laing’s 2016 book, The Lonely City, she states “loneliness […] does not mean one has failed, but simply that one is alive.” This knotted, and seemingly contradictory, sentiment lays at the heart of CRYMSON’s Alone Again. That this longing is only a confirmation of what it is to be human. The kind of crystal-clear Indie anthem you’d expect from such acts as Wild Beasts or Foals, the track is at once a celebration of these intense emotions and, at the same time, a call for the alleviation of a crushing loneliness. The chorus’s semi-pathetic plead of “don’t want to be alone again / can’t take it anymore” is delivered just apathetically and far-back, breathy in the mix enough to register as tongue-in-cheek. While Johnny Marr’s influence is evident with melodic guitar spidering across the frets. You wouldn’t be blamed for thinking you had uncovered some unheard Smiths demo.
Alternating doses of sun-soaked nostalgia with the 3AM existential dread of unrequited love, Alone Again is just as good a soundtrack to finishing a tepid can around a festival fire as it is to wandering the streets of CRYMSON’s native Birmingham in the pissing rain. This juxtaposition is exactly what makes Alone Again such a pleasure. The first of three singles by CRYMSON to be released over the Summer, if Alone Again is any indication then this group are one to watch.
This article was written by the interdisciplinary creative practitioner Lewis Williams