Sadly, we get little rock tracks sent to us. Of those, few are able to grab ahold, forcing us to pay attention. You can trust, dear reader, that when we do share a rock track, it is sure to be incredible.
Enter UK act Crux. The group exploded into our rock consciousness like a fire cannon of anthemic proportions. Their latest single “Living in Dystopia” is a tight piece of modern rock which nods to some of our favorite rock acts. Their style will especially appeal to lovers of Muse, given their futuristic vocal distortion and whirlwind rock sound. While this is a valid comparison, there is so much more to the band than one description allows.
With members who identify as teetotal (meaning they abstain from all forms of alcohol), and multiple songs tackling class and unfair wages, the act have a commendable social mind. Lead singer Max Houghton speaks more on the foundation of “Living in Dystopia”:
“In my second year at the University of York, I was in a seminar on surveillance as part of my Crime and Criminal Justice Studies course. At the time, I was reading the dystopian novels, Brave New World and 1984. I thought our world was far from the dystopian levels in the stories I was reading and used this as an argument to justify surveillance. The seminar leader quickly shot my view down, opening my eyes to the similarities the world currently is to both of these novels, almost a cocktail of dystopia. This was back in 2017, and it’s only got worse since then. I wrote the lyrics in late 2018/early 2019 and think they reflect on the world’s troubles now more than ever. One hundred and seven thousand deaths is not just a number. Each one is a person with a family.“
All around, Crux is an act that any listener can get behind. Not only do they have enviable talent and riffs for days, but the guys are genuinely conscious human beings. Stay tuned for more in the coming year.