Fall in love with this latest release.

The quickest way to regain your youth is to have a crush on someone. The rush of blood to your cheeks you catch a glimpse of your cute co-worker’s eye as they peer through the glass of that Monday morning meeting room, lose the ability to structure the sentence to your usual coffee order as your favourite barista. The thrill of the chase, the hope of planting a smile on their face, having a crush is like sitting in a large walled flower garden that’s slowly beginning to burn, it is enjoying the scenery with the threat of impending doom, or growth and fruition, a crush is there perseverance of possibility.

True to their name, cruush’s debut EP Wishful Thinker explores the themes of having a crush from the thrill, the jealousy, the desperation, and heartbreak. Vocalist and front person Amber Warren explains our music has the sweet elements of having a crush on someone but the screeching of an industrial car crusher”.

Formed from the feral depths of freshers week when Warren met, current guitarist, Arthur Boyd met at some ‘shitty event’ and formed a connection. Fully fleshed out when they were joined by drummer Fotis Kalantizis and bassist Ru Cowl, cruush was set on reimagining the shoe gaze genre for the modern age, by introducing a blend of verbs in crisis to reflect current day sensibilities, resulting in shoegaze by digital natives, a generation whom pluralism is commonplace, defining themselves as half memory and have anticipation. If you are a fan of My Bloody Valentine, Wolf Alice and The Cranberries you will call ‘Wishful Thinker’ your home.

The same titled lead track Wishful Thinker has a whimsical charm, that evokes ethereal, the magical moments you share with your crush as you hope you’re becoming closer, you feel like you’ve mastered a skill with no effort. In reality you’re crawling through sand, burns on your body believing your crawling closer to a cascading waterfall, when really, you’re plummeting to your downfall. The stemming watercolour flow state of guitar is met by mournful utterances on toxicity, physiological decline, Narcissistic behaviours, and pessimistic tendencies. The truth is having a crush is soul crushing, you sip your mind with what ifs, you waste time triple checking your teeth in the mirror and analysing their snap score to see if they’re ignoring you. Logical and intellect are the victim of this haze, this little crush is no longer a phase. Warren’s melodic splendour is antidote-like, a siren stealing attention from the tidal waves of noise with queasy timbres of disillusion, doubt, and confusion.  Wishful thinker is no doubt an appropriate figurehead of this musical ship, preparing you for both smooth sailing and Tsunamis, on the ocean of love.

Meeting each other in Manchester and sharing our time here has shaped our sound more than anything else” explains Boyd.So, no matter if cruush lean into 80s indie, alternative 90s or the Seattle sound, they’re able to plug their rock into the aquatic textures of the city in which they reside.  

The EP was released with the help of fellow Mancunians and tastemaker label, Heist or Hit – responsible for launching the careers of Her’s, pizzagirl, Eades and more – offers cruush the chance to spread this message far and wide. And how widely it already has been received, with standing ovations and radio play in tow crush have received accolades from the likes of  Jack Saunders (BBC Radio 1), Steve Lamacq, Tom Robinson & Chris Hawkins (BBC Radio 6), John Kennedy (Radio X), Simone Butler (Soho Radio), Consequence of Sound, Bandcamp Daily, NME, CLASH, So Young and GIGWISE.On the live side, cruush have bagged supports with BDRMM, NewDad, The Lounge Society, Far Caspian, Pale Blue Eyes, Priest gate and Ian Sweet, while selling out hometown headline dates at Gullivers & YES.  

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Head to their website for more information surrounding their next live event on the 2nd September at Manchester Psych Fest.