In a social media post, The Cribs reveal that their future as a band felt uncertain for a long time. The Wakefield band underwent lengthy and demoralising legal issues following the release of their last studio album, 24-7 Rock Star Shit in 2017. They are finally making a triumphant comeback with the single ‘Running Into You’, which is the lead single on the incoming album Night Network (out November 13). It was the enthusiastic reception of the single that prompted today’s grateful social media post.

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Hey everyone, Just wanted to send a message to try and express our gratitude for your support, and the love we have felt from you since we announced our return! Towards the end of last year, we honestly could not even begin to imagine coming back and were seriously questioning our future as a band – it felt almost like a distant dream or something – so I can’t tell you how great it feels to be welcomed back like that. In these unsettling times for everyone, seeing you all come out for us in that way and knowing that you have been waiting for us all this time – and that we can depend on you – has been a huge morale boost…so we hope “Running Into You” has given you a kick too! If you haven’t already, check out the new single and video, pre-order the new album “Night Network”, and we will see you all as soon as we are able. We have so many more surprises planned for you – this is honestly just the tip of the iceberg… Hope you are all doing well, thinking of you all. Love The Cribs xxx

A post shared by The Cribs (@thecribs) on Aug 18, 2020 at 2:04am PDT

The post is candid and heartfelt. The Cribs write, “in these unsettling times for everyone, seeing you all come out for us in that way and knowing that you have been waiting for us all this time – and that we can depend on you – has been a huge morale boost…so we hope “Running Into You” has given you a kick too!” As well as being sincere, the Cribs are teasing about what’s coming next: “this is honestly just the tip of the iceberg…” Only last week, they returned with a tweet and a single: “Tonight – from 5pm… WE’RE BACK”

Tonight – from 5pm… WE’RE BACK@BBC6Music @steve_lamacq #RunningIntoYou pic.twitter.com/UCnlmtroTW — The Cribs (@thecribs) August 13, 2020

This is everything you need to know. The same evening as the tweet, Steve Lamacq premiered ‘Running Into You’ on his #6MusicAlbumClub show. It comes with a video, a kind of tongue-in-cheek affair about celebrity and media culture. There are some moments of spoof-documentary, contrasted with clips of excited fans at concerts that make you really want to be back in a crowd again. It’s shiny and slick and feels like three minutes of escapism to a parallel universe where 2020 has only been Cribs-themed.

The band told DIY Magazine that they wanted to embrace “the spirit of the inevitable Cribs-mania which we are sure the news of our comeback will precipitate.” The Cribs have had a cult-like following for more than a decade now. They knew what they were talking about with ‘Cribs-mania'; fans have expressed their delight that the Cribs are “single-handedly saving 2020.”

It’s Dave Grohl that Cribs fans have to thank for their comeback; he invited them out to Foo Fighters Studio 606 in LA and told them to forget about the complications of 24-7 Rock Star Shit and just start making music. If ‘Running Into You’ is anything to go by, then this was great advice.  The single has a very comfortingly familiar Cribs feel and it’s a great sign of what’s to come on the album. It sounds a lot like the singles from 2015’s For All My Sisters. Rough Trade describe Night Network as an album of “wall-to-wall Cribs bangers”  and they say it’s “as fresh, cathartic and vital as anything they’ve ever put out”. It feels like just the right moment for the Cribs to return. You can see the tracklist for Night Network below (out November 13).

1. Goodbye
2. Running Into You
3. Screaming In Suburbia
4. Never Thought I’d Feel Again
5. Deep Infatuation
6. I Don’t Know Who I Am (feat. Lee Ranaldo)
7. She’s My Style
8. Under The Bus Station Clock
9. The Weather Speaks Your Name
10. Siren Sing-Along
11. Earl & Duke
12. In The Neon Night