Crawlers' 'Loud Without Noise' Is an Electrifying, Liberating Debut Mixtape
Photo: Jess Mead
Liverpool is no stranger to shelling out some of the best musicians to have ever existed, and Crawlers continues that legacy with the release of their debut mixtape Loud Without Noise. The collection is an exhilarating ride full of cool and confident sonics and blisteringly honest lyrics, leaving listeners desperately clicking the replay button after its succinct 20-minute run time.
The five-track body of work opens with the smooth yet forceful "I Can't Drive." Holly Minto's vocals and the deeply toned, tension-building drum patterns ready listeners for the soaring vocal chorus to come crashing in. Its direct lyrics, "I can't even drive / I just needed something to romanticize /my desperate life," is meant to be sung, or screamed, along to at full volume, starting the mixtape on a high and leaving listeners craving more. This directness continues on the next track, "F*** Me (I Didn't Know How To Say). Exploring complex and fraught issues like consent and sex, Minto sings over scuzzy guitars, "I said it was fine in your defense / I didn't know how to say I don't want you to touch me."
The following tracks, "Feminist Radical Hypocritical Delusional" and "Too Soon," see the band brandishing their teeth with their growling bass lines and unrelenting guitar riffs. Both tracks ooze unforgiving, pure punk energy as Minto sings scathing lyrics like, "My mother lost her accent to make us seem smart / Man, she worked so hard that I even forgot." "I Don't Want It" is the most infectious and dance-worthy effort on the mixtape, with its slick, bouncing energy matched by an ever-present dark undertone.
The mixtape ends with the somber ballad "Hang Me Like Jesus." The track balances a more refined musicality with an even more raw thematic realism and lyrical vulnerability. "Hang Me Like Jesus" intricately weaves vocal harmonies as a soft tangle of acoustics melt together for a blissful cloud of sonics that still manages to end in a trademark anthemic vocal chorus, bringing the mixtape to a satisfying close.
Loud Without Noise is perfect for all stages of the post-breakup cycle, as well as serving as an insightful commentary on mental health and social inequality. It's gutsy in its sincere lyricism and empowering in its sonics while still honoring the angst-fuelled punk spirit that saw Crawlers first capturing the attention of their cultlike fanbase. Loud Without Noise inspires listeners to say "fuck you" to their inhibitions, let go of those social anxieties, and feel complete freedom throughout its all-too-short run time.
Listen to Loud Without Noise below:
