Genre story · Punk
Crank Wave
A recent shorthand for British guitar bands whose voices, rhythms and arrangements refuse to settle neatly.
Crank Wave became a loose media name for a section of late-2010s and early-2020s British alternative and Post-Punk music. Bands such as black midi, Black Country, New Road and Squid shared some venues, audiences and press coverage while pursuing strikingly different musical directions. The singing might be half spoken; guitars may work in short rhythmic fragments or be replaced by keyboards and woodwinds. Some groups draw on dance-punk, free jazz or experimental rock. The point is not one consistent sound but a period and network of restless musicians. The label should not turn these bands into identical members of a newly invented historical subgenre.
Listening examples
- 2019black midiSchlagenheim
- 2021Black Country, New RoadFor the First Time
- 2021SquidBright Green Field