Crasher’s debut release is, in a sense, a trojan horse- catchy pop songs housing dark undertones, creating cathartic music from a place of processing unpleasant experiences. Much of the major lyrical content is heavy: con-men who promise futures to people, only to leave their lives in ruins. Relationships that grow tenuous and fall apart, followed by the realization that they never should have happened to begin with. The processing of grief that comes with emerging out the other side of an endless, seemingly dark tunnel, and the disbelief that something that was a reality for so long can finally be over.
But with these concepts can also come lightness. In fact, the title for the EP comes from a place of humor– explains Dave Mead: “A friend who is also a drummer saw a show at Soda Bar (a venue in San Diego) and wrote a one word review of my switch from drums to frontman: Traitor.”
Crasher formed in summer of 2019 in San Diego. Mead (Exasperation) had been writing songs on guitar in the background of his life as a serious post-punk drummer, but he kept it under wraps. With a few years of family tragedy and some compounded thoughts on a lost and misled America to reflect on, he eventually stood up from the drums to yell disjointed lyrics and play some grinding guitar chords from a Sovtek half stack. Driven by his anger with the experience of the failed state of healthcare regarding the death of his mother to early onset Alzheimer’s disease, the con-men turning the gears along the way, and his own personal grief of losing a family member in such a cruel and slow manner, Crasher created an outlet and, in time, some solace for Mead.
Moving forward, AJ Peacox (Weatherbox, Future Crooks) joined on bass. A few different drummers drifted through, but they were still without a full-time member when recording what would become the Traitor EP. Mead ended up taking on the job, recording the album from his home. Peacox’s bass followed, and Mead then layered in the guitars and vocals over a few weeks. Jordan Krimston (Band Argument, Weatherbox, Miss New Buddha) joined up on drums for live performances. The three have since launched off on a handful of successful debut shows in San Diego, with more planned for the future after multiple COVID-related cancellations.
Traitor will be available digitally on May 8. Preorder it here.
Today, Ghettoblaster has the pleasure of sharing “Whatever Dude” from the EP. This is what Mead had to say about it:
“‘Whatever Dude’ is what I feel like a room full of people want to say to Trump after being forced to listen to him rant to himself until he finally gets tired enough to stop. Sometimes the only response that’s worth what’s left of your time is just ‘Whatever Dude.'”
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