With enchanting vocals and catchy production that is seamlessly blended, “Crybaby” is undoubtedly a Cults track.
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Stream: “Crybaby” – Cults
Vibrant and undeniably witty, “Crybaby” is an exciting departure from lead singer Madeline Follin and guitarist Brian Oblivion’s typical approach to a Cults track.
Examining the loss of patience for someone who is perpetually sad and self-victimizing, Follin and Oblivion have curated a song that is authentically raw while maintaining an air of liveliness within production choices, even if things feel more simplistic on this song.
The duo says, “‘Crybaby’ marks a new direction of exploration. We experimented with a lighter sound influenced by The Crystals, Joe Meek & Kraftwerk. A fun song but also a call out to both sides of codependency.”
Follin and Oblivion have been delivering audiences with fascinatingly dramatic tracks under the name Cults since 2010. Widely known for songs like “Always Forever” and “Bad Things” (sampled by J. Cole), their sonics are cinematic and otherworldly, Follin’s evocative vocals never failing to impress. Seemingly less intense than some of Cults’ other tracks, in both production and lyricism, Crybaby is a welcome deviation from their typical sound, but can leave something to be desired at times.
Bad company
Is every day the same routine?
Eyes like the sea
And once again the problems me
The monotony of spending time with someone whose eyes are as unpredictable and tumultuous as the ocean tides has become too much to bear, Follin clearly fed up with the misery that she’s been in company with.
You need
To always put yourself at ease
No life for me
Fallin’ to pieces
Endless grief
Crybaby
So caught up in your misery
Crybaby
You waste a lot of time, it seems
While Follin has acknowledged her discontent with this dynamic, there seems to be an inherent, or rather lingering, need to receive attention or admiration from them. Their consuming melancholy leaves “no life” for Follin, no love from this person she seems so close to giving up on. Thematically and lyrically, Follin’s perspective is a far cry from the typical viewpoint she sings from. Feeling more convinced and sure of herself in these lyric choices, she sings from a place of frustration, tiring of this person’s dramatic antics. In comparison to some of the band’s other masterfully written, poetic lyricism, “Crybaby” does feel a bit plain, even if this is the exact intent of the song.
Where Cults continues to shine is in their ability to make the production feel like an extension of Follin’s voice. When Follin soars, so does the production, and “Crybaby” is no different. The delivery of the word ‘Crybaby’ is married with a beautiful mix of guitar, drums, a tambourine, and synth. Layering all of these different types of sounds over one another could easily become a mess, but Cults expertly does so on the track and has before on countless other projects.
That’s what makes this undeniably Cults; Follin and Oblivion always know how to blend ethereal vocals with instrumental choices that amp up the cinema of it all.
Dry your eyes
Baby, turn off the scream
Dry your eyes
Baby, turn off the scream
“Crybaby” is one of the two leading singles off Cults’ upcoming album To the Ghosts, releasing on July 26th.
Their second single, “Left My Keys,” has a similar fun and light tone to it, with Follin and Oblivion gearing listeners up for what they can expect from their next LP. Maintaining their signature production and vocals that makes their music so addicting, “Crybaby” successfully confirms Cults’ 5th studio album is one to keep on your radar for upcoming releases.
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Stream: “Crybaby” – Cults
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© Shervin Lainez
© Shervin Lainez
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