CRIM – Blau Sang, Vermell Cel

B-Core Disc / Tesla

 

What on earth is CRIM? Is it an Oi! band playing punk rock, or a punk rock band playing Oi! music? Either way, these guys sound ridiculously (understatement of the year) good and I am kind of bummed I only took interest in them more recently. Because aside from the work-related spins, I’ve hardly been listening to anything else but CRIM’s self-titled debut LP and of course, the recently released “Blau Sang, Vermell Cel” (“Blue Blood, Red Sky”)!

 

Influenced by the likes of Leatherface, Cock Sparrer, Social Distortion, Vanilla Muffins... and then a whole lot of Off With Their Heads and Red Alert, CRIM perfectly blends their love for heartfelt punk rock and boisterous Oi! music into a sound that is, dare I say, close to perfection! Sublime melodies, raspy lead-vocals, superb vocal harmonies, evenly strong as catchy choruses and one hell of a solid production make “Blau Sang, Vermell Cel” an absolute powerhouse, and joy to the ears, from start to finish!

 

I couldn’t have guessed this when the year started, but it’s beginning to look like one of my favorite records (as well as bands) of 2016 is an album I don’t understand a single word from. Totally sung in the Catalonian, or some Tarragona-dialect (I wouldn’t know), language, CRIM totally caught me off-guard, producing an album that sounds so refreshing and new, yet very familiar at the same time. Accompanied by the mind-blowing artwork, “Blau Sang, Vermell Cel” is an absolute must-have for, well... by the looks of the band’s influences, anyone into top-quality punk rock and Oi! music! A total hammer!