Old Meets New

Of the five musicians that joined to form The Strokes in 1998, only lead guitarist Nick Valensi seemed to hold out on joining or starting any side projects. This was not because of a singular devotion to the band, but instead for the charming reason that he couldn’t imagine making music with anyone else. However, after 2013’s Comeback Machine, The Strokes entered a period of much deserved downtime. Valensi saw this as an opportunity to make music that was “a little heavier and a bit more aggressive than The Strokes, like early Metallica stuff, just a Kill ‘Em All kind of vibe” according to an interview with Guitar World. Thus formed CRX, a five piece Los Angeles based band, headed by Valensi and filled out by a roster of proven musicians, explicitly influenced by Cheap Trick, Elvis Costello, and The Cars.

Their debut LP, New Skin, is ready made for touring. Through its 10 songs, it covers most of the ground between agile power pop and barn-burning metal, a swath of music decorated with distortion and high velocity percussion.

“Ways to Fake It”, the album’s single, is as light footed as CRX gets. It introduces us to Valensi’s voice, a mature and tempered instrument that slides comfortably from mid to high range. Sometimes it crackles with distortion, as on “Walls”, an anxious song set to the furious pulse of a strobe light, or is deconstructed and cast over the track like a shadow, as on “Broken Bones,” a haunted number that marches slowly with both gloom and grandeur. To the band’s credit, Valensi’s dynamism never carries more than its fair share of the load—CRX are an equal parts group composed of seriously talented musicians, and they make sure that each song is full-bodied and never in danger of wilting.

It’s possible, maybe even likely, that CRX will never be more than a side project for most of its members, but they knew that going in. More than anything, it’s an opportunity for veteran musicians to relive the experience of hitting the road with a group of new people and a personally meaningful repertoire of songs. New Skin may not be transcendent, but it’s definitely inspired, and will ignite any venue lucky enough to play host.