Single Review: The Cribs – Never The Same

SELLING A VIBE

With ‘Selling A Vibe‘ landing this Friday, The Cribs are doing what they’ve always done best, cutting through the noise with sharp tunes and getting straight back in front of the people who matter.

Pre-Order Here: https://thecribs.ffm.to/selling-a-vibe

The latest single ‘Never The Same’, is the final piece of the puzzle ahead of the album’s release and it wastes absolutely no time making its mark. Fresh off its debut spin last night courtesy of Steve Lamacq on BBC 6 Music, the track has already found itself comfortably parked on the station’s A-list and rightly so. It’s lean, direct and unmistakably The Cribs.

Their first full-length record in over five years, ‘Selling A Vibe‘ arrives with a sense of momentum that’s been building for months. Lead single ‘Summer Seizures’ reminded everyone just how much bite the band still has, while ‘A Point Too Hard To Make’ paired chiming guitars with that trademark call-and-response Jarman vocal dynamic, earning another nod from 6 Music in the process.

‘Never The Same’ strips things back even further. Short, sharp and streamlined, it harks back to the band’s early ethos while lyrically reflecting on change, growth and the strange nostalgia for a wilder past life that no longer quite fits. It’s a song about evolution without losing identity, something The Cribs have always navigated better than most.

There’s a nice bit of accidental mythology attached too. Written in a couple of hours after returning from Italy after featuring at Louis Tomlinson‘s Away From Home Festival and initially, conceived with Tomlinson in mind! The track came together fast and instinctively no overthinking, no fat. Sometimes the best Cribs songs arrive exactly like that.

The accompanying video keeps things equally honest. Shot on 8mm film across their US tour, it’s DIY in spirit and execution, capturing live moments and life on the road without polish or pretence. Directed and edited by the band themselves, it feels candid, personal and perfectly in tune with the song’s themes.

With release week shows starting this week and a full UK headline tour following in March, ‘Selling A Vibe‘ doesn’t just mark a comeback it feels like The Cribs stepping back into their natural habitat. Short songs, sharp edges and no messing about.

Get tickets here:  https://thecribs.com/tour/