16th August 2023

Review: “It Just Is” by Crowborn

Hailing from Cambridge, Crowborn are the brainchild of guitarist and bassist Matt Crawford and vocalist Ben “Bennboy” Goddard, who are joined by drummer James Chapman for the blessed hellride. Originally a great plague years project for idle hands and twisted minds, they describe themselves as making the music to dance to at a funeral, with a groove orientated sound. Produced, mixed, and mastered by Numbskull Audio Production by Crawford himself, they’re calling this the shape of punk to come…

The verve and swagger of “It Just Is” as a title track is sublime, blending Groove and Funk Metal together to create something that sounds like a meeting of Black Label Society and Incubus. Some might call it a guilty pleasure of mindless self indulgence but in reality what Crowborn have created is a good time sound that has the broad appeal of bands like Snot. Goddard’s clean vocals suit the riffs nicely, his confidence in his abilities shining through against a backdrop of riffs galore from Crawford. You could just picture them smashing some covers out of the park for s***s and giggles. “Stay In Your Lane” has a distinctly American vibe with some Alt Metal and Grunge influences, the acoustic parts cleverly incorporated to balance out the melody of the pre-chorus before breaking out in style. A solo is tastefully done, impressing without over cooking into the virtuoso, another fine example of how good the musicianship is on this record. Ensuring that the record is all killer no filler “Statues” has groove for days, a more flamboyant solo giving it a real edge while the chorus is just as catchy as the riffs are. It’s clear there was a vision from the outset and while each song has its own nuances, the overall sound is consistent and well polished, making for an enthralling listen and something you want to return to time and again. There is an addictive quality to it and all in all, if this is simply the beginning, then the sky is the only limit here [8/10]

Track Listing