San Diego, California’s Crime Film are a loud, grungey, shoegazey rock trio, the West Coast descendants of legendary, volume-dealing, post-alternative bands like Hum, Failure, and Autolux. The band was introduced by mutual friend Demetrius Antuña (Hauntu, The Dropscience, Goodbye Blue Monday), who connected guitarist/vocalist David Borrego Jr. (Someday Assassin, ROBGORE) and drummer Jay Richardson (The Dropscience, Autumn) via text message.

The then-duo set a playdate and started working on demos Borrego Jr. himself recorded. The chemistry was undeniable, and after months of trying out bassists to no avail, Antuña introduced Dennis Smith (Island of Thieves, The Paper Thins, Pleasure Device) to the duo while all four were attending a local show. A few rehearsals and a recording session later, Smith became the final member.

Crime Film’s debut EP, With Knives, quickly followed, with recording taking place over three sporadic sessions between July 2025 and January 2026. The EP, self-released in May, captures a band defining its identity through volume, texture, and contrast. Blending walls of fuzz, shimmering guitars, melodic hooks, a driving rhythm section, and relentless noise, the band draw from their forbearers without settling comfortably into a single genre. Simply, it’s an effort that shifts between beauty and abrasion, melody and chaos, and leaving space for listeners to lose themselves somewhere in between. The six-song EP introduces a band more interested in atmosphere and impact than convention.

Watch the band’s video for “Milk w/Knives” here.

Just months after the EP’s release, the band follow up with a brand-new single, “In Sunshine Units.” Purchase it via Bandcamp. Listen to it here.

Photo courtesy of Crime Film.