Steeped in reverb and shrouded in fog, ‘Hang Me Like Jesus’ takes Crawlers away from the heavy overdrive their previous singles wore proudly, pulling the alt-rock band into a more atmospheric, almost fragile soundscape.
This new single is the last of a run stretching back since March 2022, with four out of six tracks from their upcoming debut mixtape Loud Without Noise now released. But where previous singles have leant into the band’s heavier elements, ‘Hang Me Like Jesus’ allows them to explore their versatility, delivering an experience more poignant and melancholy than almost anything the band has given us thus far.
In interviews, lead singer Holly Minto has described the song as a post-breakup reflection on her feelings of self-worth. As she describes it in a press release:
“It was originally written about feeling like a burden to my partner when I was ill. After the relationship, I realised that I wasn’t being a burden, I was just trying to recover.”
Delivered through lyrics that dive deeper into metaphor and introspection than most of their more direct previous work and sung with a softness that swells and builds through the track, they pull the listener into the music and don’t let go.
The band play like musicians aware that they’re here to defy expectations. Opening with a delicate arrangement of reverb-heavy guitars and electronic fuzz, they strip even that away to make room for Holly’s vocals, accompanying them with a simple synth line and the faintest touch of percussion. From here, the band steadily layers on instrumentation and harmony, filling out the song but never letting one element overpower any other.
The relatively calmer approach and toned-down dynamic expression of the track may surprise some fans, and time will tell how well it fits into the mixtape as a whole. But taken both by itself and as an intriguing entry in an ever-growing catalogue, Crawlers have shown their willingness to take risks and push their sound, with captivating results.
You can read The Mancunion‘s interview with Crawlers here.
You can keep up with the latest news from Crawlers on their official website here.
