Crushed Veneer are a four-piece from London who I stumbled across on Bandcamp a little while ago. I really liked their sound of their most recent four track EP, Desire And The Need To Live, which was released in May this year. I promptly added the EP to my review list and then… well, life (mostly my job) got in the way and I haven’t been able to make time for reviewing. Since adding Crushed Veneer to my review list however, they’ve been added to a great line-up at a New Cross Inn show in September, alongside Uniforms, Break Ups and Modern Shakes. This has spurred me to finally give Desire And The Need To Live the review that it deserves.
First up on Desire And The Need To Live is Kind Of Blue. This is a track that wastes no time in getting going with the guitars cranked up and drums being sufficiently pounded from the start. Pure punk rock. When the vocals come in the guitars are toned down a bit while a distinct indie-style riff stands out. It feels upbeat although that is perhaps a contrast with the lyrics of the song. Kind Of Blue is about facing up to sad or negative feelings and trying to find something that makes you feel happy again. There are also some first hints of a singalongable or gang vocal-style chorus that bodes well for the rest of the EP (and for seeing the band live). ‘I don’t know why, I never feel alive, A soul on fire, Another compromise, Everything you do, I try to do it too, “Kind of Blue”, Reminds me of you.’ Sew Me Up is the second song on the EP and it takes a slightly different direction musically to Kind Of Blue with an almost country-tinged folk punk sound. Sort of Chuck Ragan but with not so gruff vocals. This, of course, is absolutely fine by me and on my first listen of Desire And The Need To Live I definitely had this track marked as my favourite. The rumbling drum beat, plodding bass line and slightly distorted guitars have me nodding along in no time but it’s the vocals and the lyrics that have me fully invested. Sew Me Up is rather short and sweet as after just 30 seconds we have reached the first chorus and the singalong feeling that was hinted at in the previous song feels even more present here – at least, I want to singalong anyway. ‘Cut me down, sew me up, I have never had enough, I want it all, I want it now, And I don’t care how.’
With the third song, Wild Nights, we go back to a more straight up melodic punk rock sound. There’s a great sense of storytelling throughout the lyrics of this song which reminds me of the likes of The Gaslight Anthem or The Menzingers – no surprises then that both bands are listed as influences on Crushed Veneer’s Facebook page – but that’s not to say that the song actually sounds exactly like either of those bands. Although not played at a super fast pace, there is a certain urgency to Wild Nights as a tale of regret and bitterness unravels. ‘My skeletons they keep me up, I used to crave your every touch, The nights were wild and full of lust, We’d drink our weight then sleep it off, My skeletons they keep me up, I used to crave your every touch, But now I lie awake alone, And watch you fade away, you’re gone.’ I guess this song is the reason there’s a skeleton on the EP artwork as well as on some of the band’s merch. Or maybe they just like skeletons. Me too. Bringing the EP to a close is its title track, Desire And The Need To Live. This final song opens with a clean and distinct unaccompanied guitar line that immediately has my attention (not least because I can’t stop thinking that it sounds like the opening of classic Funeral For A Friend song Juneau – just me?). It’s not long however before the rest of the band, including the vocals, come in. I mentioned earlier that Sew Me Up felt short and sweet, well this song isn’t exactly short in length but there’s a great succinctness to each line of the song that gets the message across without too much fuss. Desire And The Need To Live is about finding purpose as well as enjoyment in your life and, as the last chorus is sung by multiple voices, there is a definite sense of not being alone with such feelings. ‘Last call, last drink, last night, Trying to find someone to fight, Less love, less lust, less life, Raise a glass, we’re still alive.’
Desire And The Need To Live can be streamed and downloaded on Bandcamp now.
You should also like Crushed Veneer on Facebook and check out this event for details of that gig with Uniforms, Break Ups and Modern Shakes at the New Cross Inn, London, on Friday 7th September.
This review was written by Emma Prew.
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