NEW ARTIST FINDS: CRUISR

More often than not, whenever I write about a band it takes me a little bit to get both feet in the bath and warm up to their sound, their look, their attitude, their everything. A band puts themselves out there and asks that we make an emotional investment in them that doesn’t always pay off. Not the case here. CRUISR had me from the first riff. These four guys from Philadelphia have upbeat indie pop/rock in their veins and they exude happiness at every turn. I haven’t been this excited about a band since I first heard Walk the Moon. They are similarly masters of music that one can rock out to, or dance their asses off to and neither would be the wrong move.

Without mentioning how god damn clever the video is, "All Over" is just an overwhelmingly fun song. Without taking itself too seriously, the song examines the tumultuous and sometimes toxic and dangerous relationship between men and women, and what a wonderful and terrifying thing love can be. There are both moments of harmless indie pop and aggressive punk jamming at work in the song. It starts off in a somewhat familiar, ALMOST cliché fashion but really opens up right before the two minute mark and goes a different, but not unnatural direction. Easiest transition from dancing to moshing (well maybe just some jumping and friendly nudging) I’ve ever heard.

CRUISR - ALL OVER

"Kidnap Me" takes a much more laidback tone. It’s got an island/reggae pop feel to it that’s smooth and danceable while still incorporating effective rock sensibilities. In general CRUISR has a solid foundation of indie rock that never fails them. Even when their sound travels to these pop hybrid places, they still don’t forget what makes a song catchy, and what makes a song kick ass. I’ll never accuse them of being “too poppy” or too anything. There’s a lot of checking and balancing in their sound, and one need only listen to both this and "All Over" to see that these guys have serious songcraft and range. While I’m a slightly bigger fan of "All Over," you WILL hear "Kidnap Me" this summer, I guarantee it.

CRUISR - KIDNAP ME

CRUISR has already opened for The 1975, has made some Best Of lists and is getting some airplay on the SiriusXM Alt Nation channel, so it really is only a matter of time before these guys get mainstream attention. We cannot be stingy with our indie darlings; CRUISR in particular already has the sound that will pack an arena. It really is a love and let go situation, although I don’t think they will ever leave their indie roots as their popularity increases. We’ll just have to make room for more people on the dancefloor, that’s all.