Christmas it found me, lime still in my teeth,
She came up behind and said that “I know what you need”.
Well she wasn’t wrong it just went on for too long
And I was too green.
I gave her my star sign, she gave me a note,
It said I was the last dog and she had run out of salt.
Like a dog I was honest, but I wasn’t faithful,
No, not to a fault.
There’s a metaphor somewhere but I cannot get there,
So, I can’t explain.
There is this flower I forget its name,
It opens just once for only an hour
And won’t open again.
Know that I never faked the pleasure you gave,
But I only came close and I only came broken
And I walk out the same.
And then as I licked my wounds that final walk home,
Right there on my tongue all misshapen and soft
Was a small grain of salt.
Don’t talk to me today Gef, I’m not in the mood,
I saw you in the kitchen, you didn’t eat your food.
Don’t talk to me today Gef, I could see your smile,
When I kicked the neighbour’s cat ‘cus I thought it was your tail.
Ohhhhh (ohhhhh)
I heard them talk in Peel, they think it’s all my fault,
A quiet child turned wild when she learnt to throw her voice.
But you know me the best Gef I stay close to Cashen’s Gap,
Who am I to meet to teach me a trick like that?
Ohhhhh (ohhhhh)
So, meet me by the sea pink and we’ll give them your best howl,
Nothing but close to hell could stop us now.
about
Crake are an alt-folk four piece from the city of Leeds in northern England who write melodic and (sometimes) hopeful songs about flora, fauna, anxiety and the tough stuff. Formed on the cusp of 2016/17 after a New Year’s Eve pact, Crake spent their first couple of years playing locally with loose-line-up changes, self-releasing two EPs - 2017’s By the Slimemould and 2018’s The Politics of Lonely.
Led by singer/guitarist Rowan Sandle, Crake blend shimmering alt-folk and indie-rock, featuring an increasing density of guitars, tape-loops and synth blankets. Their songs provide a more sonically reassuring but equally intimate bed for Sandle’s poetic lyrics.
In late 2018 the band supported Big Thief’s Buck Meek on the Leeds date of his solo tour, impressing the guitarist so much that he invited them along for Big Thief’s forthcoming tour across the UK and Europe. Those three weeks spent travelling and playing with their musical heroes saw Crake go from a small, beloved act who’d barely left their hometown, to finding themselves with a legitimate fanbase of their own. Their third 3-track EP Dear Natalie was subsequently released in 2019, also marked by the addition of lead guitarist Russell Searle, joining Rob Slater on drums and Sarah Statham on bass. The EP was the sound of Crake finding their feet on a larger stage, both literally and figuratively, with opening track ‘Glycerin’ shining a spotlight on Sandle’s ever-confessional words.
Since the Big Thief tour and the Dear Natalie EP the band have focused solely on writing and demoing new music, assembling in garages, practice rooms and the beloved Greenmount Studios in Leeds (The Cribs, Pulled Apart By Horses) where drummer Rob Slater works.
The first results of this focused time away can be heard on Enough Salt (For All Dogs) b/w Gef, a brand new, two-track single which will be released on 7” vinyl via Saddle Creek’s ongoing Document Series. Their first self-produced effort, the new single is Crake at their most confident. Exploring the depths of their sound while staying rooted in Rowan Sandle’s brilliant songwriting and captivating lyrics.
credits
released September 18, 2020
2020 Saddle Creek
Recorded by Rob Slater at Greenmount Studios
Mixed by Lee Smith at Greenmount Studios
Mastered by Philip Shaw Bova
supported by 14 fans who also own “Enough Salt (For All Dogs) b/w Gef”
I especially like the wonderfully creaky vocals which are in a high register that reminds me of Teleman, Goodbooks and Stornoway in this alt-folk infused indiepop. Art Fin
Land of Talk return after a seven-year absence with a record full of mournful, bluish synths and the glorious vocals of Elizabeth Powell. Bandcamp New & Notable Mar 20, 2017
supported by 8 fans who also own “Enough Salt (For All Dogs) b/w Gef”
Another great album - dean wareham, joanna gruesome, lonely tourist, dorotea, the chills, manhattan love suicides & spearmint are all highlights but the whole lot is pretty darn great really martin kiosk