I’d never heard of Crowns until now so I didn’t know what to expect when I started to listen to their new release ‘Stitches In The Flag. They certainly aren’t what I was expecting and I had to try my best not to make a snap judgement. Even when I’m not a fan of a particular genre I always try to be as open minded as possible.
Opening and title track ‘Stitches In The Flag’ pretty much sets the scene for the majority of the record. It could be used as a soundtrack in a country pub with drunken men swinging each other around; that’s the first thing that popped into my head anyway. If that’s the sound that Crowns intended to go for then they’ve certainly excelled at it.
‘My London’ completely slows the record down and I think that this style suits the band much more than their overly fast-paced indie folk sounds. This continues later on with instrumental ‘Windmill Hill’ which in all honesty is the best track on the record. This isn’t because there are no vocals, it’s the fact that similar to ‘My London’ it slows ‘Stitches In The Flag’ down and you get to experience a much less cheesy side of Crowns.
Not surprisingly the record kicks straight back into its usual ways with ‘Parting in the Porch’, despite me hoping that Crowns would continue with the slower pace from ‘Windmill Hill’ The record closes with ‘Little Eyes’ a track with a very repetitive musical structure, although I can imagine after a few pints it would be a laugh to get up and shout along to; this can be said for a lot of the songs on ‘Stitches In The Flag.’
Don’t get me wrong, Crowns are good musicians but this really isn’t my thing. I tried to be as open minded as I could be but ‘Stitches In The Flag’ didn’t captivate me whatsoever. Less banjos and slower rhythms would definitely improve the record and it would make me take them more seriously, especially because I know they can write songs like ‘My London.’ If you like your alternative indie folk music jam packed with rapid banjos then check it out for yourself, you might enjoy it more than me!
2.5/5
‘Stitches In The Flag’ by Crowns is out on the 5th November through Ship Wreckords.
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Words by Hannah Gillicker (@HannahGillicker)
