The Cribs share new single ‘Never The Same’ ahead of new album release this Friday

The Cribs have shared new single ‘Never The Same’, the latest track to be released from their upcoming album, Selling A Vibe, due out this Friday, 9th January, via Play It Again Sam.

The release is one where the band consider their personal evolutions and what comes from leaving a part of one's self in the past. It also marks the final preview of the band’s first full-length record in over five years, following earlier singles 'Summer Seizures' and 'A Point Too Hard To Make', the latter landing on the BBC 6 Music A-list.

You can listen to ‘Never The Same’ below now, or stream it on all platforms, with the album arriving later this week.

Speaking on the new single, guitarist and vocalist Ryan Jarman said: “Never The Same is kind of a throwback to our original approach: trim all the fat, bring it in as short as possible and keep out of the way... streamlined. Stylish. It’s almost a little paradoxical, as lyrically it’s about feeling like a different person at this point in life, and missing the chaos of your previous existence, even if it wouldn’t make sense anymore.”

Bassist and singer Gary Jarman added: "We wrote Never The Same the evening that we returned home from Italy, after playing Louis Tomlinson’s ‘Away From Home’ festival. The night before, we had been talking with Louis’ manager about maybe writing and/or producing some tracks for his next LP, so upon our return to Wakefield, we got to work and banged this out, fully formed, in a couple of hours. And then we became attached to it and decided to keep it for ourselves!

"I think that the freedom of conceiving it for someone else just meant that we didn’t overthink anything, and just got straight to the point - it came together fast. So yeah, in an alternate timeline it could’ve been a Louis song."

Selling A Vibe follows a period of reflection and reconnection for the Jarman brothers, who took time away from writing and recording to step off the release-tour cycle and focus on their relationship as a family. That reset informs a record that leans into honesty and melody, without trying to revisit past versions of the band.

Produced by Patrick Wimberly - known for his work with Solange, MGMT and Lil Yachty - the album sees The Cribs explore a more contemporary approach to songwriting and production, while keeping the searing directness and emotional clarity that has defined their output across two decades.

Pre-order the album on CD, Vinyl and more, or pre-save on your chosen streaming platform - HERE

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Header image credit: Steve Gullick