Artist: Crake
Title: Lamb’s Tail
Format: Digital single
Cat#: Fika090SG1
Release date: 2nd November 2021
Bandcamp | Spotify
“A pensive, dejected moment of magic, but magic nonetheless” Gold Flake Paint
"Charming and intimate alt-folk” Dork
"The guitars sizzle like lightning bolts striking against an otherwise clear sky, while Sandle’s distinct, hoarse vocal plays like another instrument” Secret Meeting
"In a world of cynics, [Crake] make you believe anything might still be possible” For The Rabbits
Contemplative Leeds quartet Crake have today shared a new single, ‘Lamb’s Tail’.
A set supporting Buck Meek in their native Brudenell Social Club led to the four-piece supporting Big Thief across the UK and the EU in 2019 at Meek’s behest. Last August, this culminated in a one off 7” with Big Thief’s former label, Saddle Creek. Heralding a new relationship with Fika Recordings, ‘Lamb’s Tail’ is the first material since from the band made up of Rowan Sandle, Russel Searle, Rob Slater and Sarah Statham.
Led by the enigmatic Sandle, Crake is driven by her endless curiosity. Armed with her distinctive, hoarse vocals and inspiration from travel writers like Shirley Jackson and Nan Shepherd, she sings of crinoids, slime mould and Pussy Willow, sending you down newly unearthed rabbit holes. Inspired by childhood superstitions, ‘Lamb’s Tail’ makes for a perfect showcase of how Crake knit the patchwork for these observations to flourish, blending drummer/producer Slater’s rolling percussion with the band’s unifying desire to create ear-catching melodies that are ‘sincere, pure and from the heart’.
Speaking of the track, Sandle said: “When I was a kid and I was worried or anxious, I would leave it to the fates to tell me the outcome of whatever issue I was currently stuck on. I would ask my question to the ether and make up some rule to reveal to me my answer. For example, if whilst walking I land at a lamppost with my left foot, the answer is no, but if I land with my right, then yes.
“Lamb’s Tail deals with a major question pertinent to me now – in my early 30s, without children but knowing I want them, I worry when. And at the opposite end of life’s flight, I’ve recently got to know grief. And it’s a lot. So sometimes we revert to silly rituals that comforted us as a child, noticing the pushing onwards of Spring, or laughing at the fact that Rob once met a cat he could have sworn he taught drums to”.
Accompanied with a video directed by Ash Scott, ‘Lamb’s Tail’ inspires you to claw at the soil and unearth a meaning all of your own.
Press for Lamb’s Tail:
“The Leeds four-piece never fail to produce immortally thought-provoking and chilling songs, and Lamb’s Tail is just the latest testament to this increasingly assured truth. Consider it a maxim: when Crake releases music, listeners will be entranced by it.” Secret Meeting
“It’s a revelation delivered in little more than a silvery whisper, but in Crake’s careworn sound, it washes over like a perfectly-timed warm blanket to block out the cold world and insulate the love.” Beats Per Minute
“It’s got a transatlantic feel that’s part Fairport, part Edith Frost and others; and a natural, instinctive flow that indicates that Rowan and band live and breathe this. It’s no affectation. There’s a grace and a tranquillity at play; they’re at ease in this land.” Backseat Mafia
“What a beautifully intimate vocal performance. Always flickering, on the cusp of breaking almost, Rowan Sandle gives us a glimpse inside his soul. With understated and considered backing from Russel Searle, Rob Slater and Sarah Statham, this is a subtle but stunning tune.” The Rodeo
“As you get older it’s often tempting to wonder if you’ve already heard everything you’re going to love, to question whether there’s anything new or exciting out there left to discover. Then along comes a band like Crake and you realise just how naïve that thought truly is, you have to believe the best is always yet to come, you’ll only ever be proven wrong if you don’t.” For The Rabbits
“Crake turn a basic folk melody into a moving examination of an emotional journey to healing” Nothing But Hope and Passion
“a charcoal-hued carol” The Autumn Roses