‘This is Only Test’ is a six-song EP by North Carolina-based rock band Crooked Cranes. The EP truly has an immersive alt-rock, very boomer-generation emitting vibe. Withholding the title of the EP on a song is a clever move by the band, sparking the listener’s curiosity to discover the story within the track list.
GF is an action-packed opener that gives this EP by Crooked Cranes an intense beginning. The base rips the air with enormous energy as the drums come into the scene, holding space for the feral vocals. The chord progressions and the searing guitar riffs lay the perfect foundation for the story that unfolds in the song. The sound in this song is raw and edgy, with an alt-rock tip-over. Musically, they craft the sound to mirror the lyrical assertiveness of the tests one faces in relationships.
Mehico, the second in the EP, is a surprising shift from the first. The intensity of GF mellows to a melodic chord with Mehico. The song’s story is all about a wild trip to a city in Mexico, which is full of adventures. “Girl, I wanna go home. Girl just wanna get stoned. One night in Mexico, and I wanna get home. Taquila shots right till dawn.” The lyrics are reminiscent of good old slow times, and musically, Crooked Crane ensures that the track represents a similar feel.
Read Another Review: Ubiquity Machine Releases Their Riveting New Single ‘Angela’
Dolfin has a fantastic new chord, very unique to the set and the most flirtiest. The sound has a crystal ball with shimmering mirrors, hanging from the sky-like ceiling, a kind of retro-era feel. The lines in the songs have the wackiest pick-up lines that are very 70s boomers. The vocals take the centre stage here, adding layers of rawness and grit to the composition.
Interstate Song and Met A Gurl both have the distorted punk alt-rock sound. Crooked Crane doesn’t have a song in their EP that’s named after the title ‘This Is Only Test’, yet these two songs seem to fulfill that non-necessary void. The state of a man in unrequited love or beaten in love is like a Test that Life may often have the joy to pick on. “From Heaven kicked to a devil’s spell. Met a girl, thought it went well. Turned out it went straight to hell…Loves fine, it takes its toll.”
In The News: Lorde Announces “Ultrasound World Tour”
NeWay is a perfect happy ending song to this little-baffling, in a good way, EP of Crooked Cranes. Having an ending with a ‘happily ever after’ may or may not be a perfect conclusion to a relationship. Yet, letting go and moving on without lingering entanglements—like giving back a pair of headphones—feels like a truly satisfying finish. Every snare crack, bass drum thump, and cymbal crash injects a groovy texture to this song.
Listen to Crooked Cranne’s latest EP here.
Check out our playlists here!
Check out our YouTube channel for music reviews, playlists, podcasts, and more!
