Crescent Returns Without Much Promise In "Resin Pockets"

The English alternative rock band Crescent have spent the last decade in relative obscurity, but are ready for a comeback. The band has brought back their melancholy, indie sound, but it definitely sounds like it hasn't aged as well as they would have hoped. Crescent returns without much promise in Resin Pockets, their first record in a decade.

Crescent have always been known for their pseudo-depressed sound, and it certainly makes a come back in this record. The way the guitar and vocals seem to have no consideration for anything but their own personality really plays off the whole "gone over the edge" vibe, but in practice, at least here, doesn't come of well. Tracks like 'Lightbulbs In The Trees' don't sound really depressed as they do lazy, as if they were drunk while recording it and forgot to use a metronome. 

There are a few moments that do end up going to right way, though. In particular, 'Willow Tree' really seems to capture everything the band wishes they did on the album properly. A somber synth accompanies depressed vocals, a light, semi-complex beat, and gentle guitars that ring with a lot of melancholy remembrance. Opening track 'Get Yourself Tidy' doesn't do too bad at this either, but its sound just makes it feel a bit odd as an album introducer.

Crescent returns without much promise in Resin Pockets, mostly in part due to the fact that the sound just hasn't aged well. There are plenty of bands making exactly this sound and just doing it better. Maybe you can't teach an old dog new tricks, but that won't stop them from trying.

Favorite Track: Willow Pattern

Least Favorite Tracks: Lightbulbs In A Tree, I'm Not Awake

Rating: 66 / 100

Buy or listen to Resin Pockets on Apple Music or Amazon: