3rd album for CROWS, somewhere between punk and sharp post-punk, the band brings the energy while keeping the listener in a fairly tense atmosphere of urgency! Excellent record with perfect production for the genre. For fans of EAGULLS, THE MURDER CAPITAL, THE DRIN. Crows have arrived. “Reason Enough,” their third studio album, is the one the band took the longest to write. In part because they had to adapt the process around full-time jobs, but also because of the freedom they were given around this specific project, which takes the quartet’s historically adrenaline-fueled post-punk sound into new territory. Although the band’s punk spirit remains intact, sonically they are more refined and cohesive than ever; it is the most mature sound Crows have ever produced, without compromising their intrinsic grit. After 2022’s “Beware Believers” and their 2019 debut “Silver Tongues,” “Reason Enough” lands on September 27, 2024 via Bad Vibrations. For the occasion, James Cox (vocals), Steve Goddard (guitar), Jith Amarasinghe (bass) and Sam Lister (drums) swapped their usual rehearsal space, a small studio in Homerton, East London, for the cavernous walls of a “small weird studio” - as Goddard puts it - in Stroud, Gloucestershire. More specifically, a former Catholic church and convent where the band set up in the crypt, which was more conducive to inspiring the foundations of “Reason Enough.” “Having a more relaxed approach this time allowed us to explore different things,” explains Goddard. “We don’t want to sound like before - this is our third album, we need to move on. And so we fucked around a bit more. Armed with dozens of ideas, they returned to London with the aim of refining them alongside Mercury Prize-nominated producer and master of refined independent records Andy Savors (Black County, New Road, My Bloody Valentine). The result: a concise 10-track album that fully showcases Crows’ sonic versatility. It is a more melodic work than Crows have done before, “rather than being punk to the max,” as Goddard puts it. “It feels less lo-fi, cleaner and more complete,” adds Cox. Lyrically, Cox drew heavily from a difficult year, both personally and in dealing with a heavy news cycle. “I’m pretty unhappy with the lyrics and the singing,” he says. “I wanted to moan a bit. If the last album was angrier, this one is definitely sadder. Indeed, a general feeling of unease, isolation, malaise and a desire for growth despite everything permeates “Reason Enough” - an album that strikes a satisfying balance between existentialism, introspection and a demanding brand of indie rock: “We’re doing the same thing, but much better. This is Crows in high definition.