Crash Club’s rise to recognition, following the selection of ‘Recondition’ as T in The Park’s edit soundtrack for 2015, left fans with high expectations since its release in November.
Their new track ‘Last Dance’ manages to meet the standard we have come to expect of them, without raising the bar.
I’ll begin with the good stuff: to say that ‘Last Dance’ is exemplary of the electro-rock genre is to state the obvious, it’s moving, powerful, weighty; it would make a fantastic tune to run to.
Tony Costello’s voice makes for an interesting break from the norm and the feminine touch introduced by Bernadette Donnelly’s vocals balances the hardcore, testosteroney masculinity of the track really well.
It can be said without doubt too that it has been mixed and mastered with a great deal of talent and attention by Thomas MacNeish at Rubber Gum Studios.
As a beat track, then, it does its job to great success; that’ what I liked about it.
What I had hoped for was something with more of the grit shown and promised by ‘Recondition’.
While ‘Last Dance’ is solid and well presented, there is little about that distinguished it as definitively Crash Club – unlike the new T in the Park soundtrack which is racy and original – the tune simply doesn’t hold true to their grungy, compelling prior work as much as hoped.
This criticism should by no means deter the would-be listener.
I resolutely feel that a band going from strength to strength, as Crash Club are, with nominations and increasing media attention, deserves an honest review.
I look forward to what they produce next.
Words: Patrick McCafferty
Rave Child 