The Crane Wives – Beyond Beyond Beyond (2024)
The Crane Wives is a four-piece indie band based out of Grand Rapids, Michigan, and they have just released their fifth studio album Beyond Beyond Beyond. The band started life as a folk combo, more or less, but an energetic one whose introspective lyrics cast light on the dark interior of the soul without coming across as navel-gazing. Over the years, they have evolved into a happy medium between folk and rock.
In Beyond Beyond Beyond, frontwomen Emilee Petersmark and Kate Pillsbury are more expansive on electric guitars, giving their songs a gritty edge and adding melodic solos that contrast nicely with the dense harmonies that are the band’s trademark. Petersmark and Pillsbury have always belted out their melodies, but here the album has moments where latent rock and roll screams almost erupt, tipping that almost-medium closer to rock than their previous endeavors.
Songs like ‘Black Hole Fantasy’, ‘Bitter Medicine’, ‘Predator’, and ‘Mad Dog’ have the best of these elements. Drummer Dan Rickabus supports the band without overwhelming it, stepping out of his previous approach without going to 11. Ben Zito on bass is something of a marvel, holding the pulse with the drums while exploring harmonic and melodic territory that adds a layer of interest others on the instrument would not be able to find. Another delight is the guitar work. Petersmark and Pillsbury engage the rhythm and lead guitar dynamic in a way that gives both roles a distinct voice, and their solos are engaging but don’t tip over into shredding.
Ironically, the band’s trademark of crafting three-part harmonies is where Beyond Beyond Beyond has its weak points. Their voices feel more at home on the quiet numbers ‘Say It’ and ‘Red Clay’, sometimes evoking the Fleet Foxes in their harmonies. But on some of the upbeat numbers, the parts sometimes feel busy and sound strident. This isn’t helped by the fact that the timbre of Petersmark and Pillsbury’s voices are very similar, and while one of the men (it’s not clear who) lends a part it’s not enough to create the sense of a bottom-end leading to moments where the harmonies sound thin and brittle.
That said, The Crane Wives have crafted a unique sound through an impressive catalogue that they have built up over the last nearly decade and a half. Their career seems to have evolved as gently as their sound, making them the kind of band that causes listeners to ask, “Why haven’t I heard them before?” Beyond Beyond Beyond may not be the strongest album in their catalogue but it shouldn’t over-shadow the fact that The Crane Wives are worth looking into.
Find out more about The Crane Wives on their official website, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, TikTok and Spotify.
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