Three short months after TURN OFF THE TV, Crawlers are already back with another new EP, LIVE WITH THIS. Ensuring people stay talking about them with such a small gap between releases is a smart move, and they have the music to back the discussion up.
Opening the EP is BIRTHDAY, a definite change in atmosphere from Crawlers’ previous EP. A plea not to cry on her birthday, Holly Minto’s vocals are soft and pleasant. The track retains strong, prominent drums and bass, as is signature to Crawlers, but they adapt in their power to the vulnerability and melancholy of the lyrics, as well as the way in which they’re sung.
BORN SCREAMING contains more monotone vocals for the most part. Emotion plays its part instead in the heavy bass and guitar work, which work together to ricochet through your entire body. These elements result in an effortlessly cool aura, painting Crawlers in the exact light that works best for them. Minto finally expands in the last 30 seconds of the track, with high notes that only reinforce this aura.
The immediacy of DIRTY PARTS OF HEAVEN’s guitar intro sets the tone aptly before dying down to allow room for the paranoid subject matter of the song. With lines such as “Is it me or are the drugs wearing off?” and “Just ‘cause I’m sober / Doesn’t mean I don’t miss it”, this is once again an extremely vulnerable use of lyricism, one of the band’s most admirable qualities. Vocal and drum lines that follow a much more melodic structure than is usually utilised by Crawlers communicate the emotion of this EP in a far more pungent way, one that works fantastically.
Just acoustic guitar and vocals commence closing track SURE OF IT, allowing a brief moment of recuperation. When electric guitar eventually comes in, it rings out in the most melodic way it has come across on the entire EP. Vocal harmonies are also new, ending the album on a sweeter note than would be expected. Crawlers continue using new elements through the entire progression of the project, insuring it never ceases to sound fresh.
LIVE WITH THIS proves its strength through raw emotion atop blaring guitars. Crawlers remain as interesting as ever, further developing their signature style both lyrically and sonically.
Crawlers: LIVE WITH THIS— Out 13 November 2026 (Nettwerk Music Group)
