by Isobel Clark
Michigan folk-rock quartet The Crane Wives have had a quite unusual career. Based out of Grand Rapids, the group got their start in the Americana folk scene in 2010, releasing four albums over the next six years, gradually evolving their style through country, rock-and-roll, and jazz. However, it wasn’t until the Covid-19 pandemic that The Crane Wives were catapulted into indie stardom, with their songs ‘Curses’ and ‘The Moon Will Sing’ becoming famous on TikTok, with the band now currently sitting at 1.3 million monthly Spotify listeners. This summer, The Crane Wives announced that they’d be releasing a new album in September 2024, entitled Beyond Beyond Beyond — their first studio album in eight years.
As one of the people who started listening to The Crane Wives during the pandemic, I was ecstatic at this prospect, and I wasn’t disappointed. As the group concludes their 2024 album release tour, let’s look at what Beyond Beyond Beyond boasts, and whether it was worth the wait.
The album opens with ‘Scars’, one of the three pre-release singles, and the opening instrumental — featuring the talents of cellist Jordan Hamilton and violinist Sam Cooper, who appear prominently throughout the album — immediately establishing the tone of this album as something more mature than their past endeavours. The track’s lyrics also cement this theme, carrying the band’s signature focus on toxic relationships.
The second pre-release single, ‘Bitter Medicine’ is a bit more cheerful, featuring the vocal and guitar talents of lead singer Emilee Petersmark, and the excellent lyricism of Ben Zito and Dan Rickabus. The band’s iconic three-part harmonies are out in full force on this track. Amusingly, this might also be the most times they’ve ever sworn in a song — if three times can be counted as a large number!
The first original track on the album ‘Higher Ground’ lets all its instruments shine, giving both the band’s four members and the guest players moments in the spotlight. Much like many of their prior releases, this song makes use of evocative imagery to convey its narrative, but I’m not going to explain all the extended metaphors as I think that’s a task for an English student. Do your own analysis!
‘Predator’, the next song on the album, has a more theatrical, performative vibe, which is refreshing in contrast to their darker songs. It’s still not particularly cheerful, but seems to be more upbeat, a common occurrence in the band’s discography. I’m a big fan of this song’s use of clapping as percussion during the verses and outro, especially while all the other instruments are fading out.
‘Say It’ is the album’s designated slow and mellow song, in advance of the more energetic second half. The chord progression in the chorus is lovely (I know nothing about music theory). Once again, Petersmark, Rickabus and vocalist/guitarist Kate Pillsbury lend their voices to some beautiful harmonies, which the gentler pace really highlights. This is one of those songs that doesn’t need to sound loud to feel loud.
The album does a heel-face turn on its next track ‘Mad Dog’ which opens with a catchy riff and a folk-rock sound, more reminiscent of their past releases, such as their 2014 album ‘Coyote Stories’. The overlapping vocals in the chorus gives the beat a frantic, rapid pace that perfectly matches the rest of the song.
‘Arcturus Beaming’ was the first prerelease single for Beyond Beyond Beyond, dropped back in June. I’m a little confused as to why it’s been placed in the middle of the album, as the hopeful tone (as well as literally saying the album title in the lyrics) would have made it an excellent opener. Either way, the guitar parts are definitely the stand-out feature of this song.
I’m going to be biased here: ‘Time Will Change You’ is one of my favourite songs on this album, without question. The industrial buzz on the electric guitars, coupled with the eerie strings, gives this song a melancholic atmosphere. Coupled with the phenomenal lyrics, this is definitely one of the best songs released by the band in the last few years (in my opinion).
Time for another opinion: ‘Black Hole Fantasy’ is my favourite song ever released by The Crane Wives. Even if it is pretty long (how can six minutes feel so short?), it’s by far the most hopeful track they’ve ever penned, and the extended metaphor of a black hole representing anxious thoughts about a relationship is extremely clever.
The album begins to wind down the excitement with ‘Red Clay’, which definitely harkens back to their Americana roots, and, most rare of all, puts bassist Dan Rickabus at the centre of the vocal trifecta. Calm and relaxed, this song is all acoustic and all chill. Nice!
The Crane Wives see out their fifth studio album with ‘River Rushing’, a Fleetwood Mac-reminiscent rock-and-roll track, highlighting the raw power of lead singer Petersmark’s voice. Overall, Beyond Beyond Beyond manages to end on an optimistic note, setting the stage for future releases.
Was it worth the wait? I can’t speak for the people who’ve waited eight years, but after a four-year period of anticipation, Beyond Beyond Beyond seems hand-crafted to appeal to me — folk-rock with strings, intricate vocals and complex motifs about determination and progress. Hopefully their future releases can stand up to or exceed their long-overdue return to the music industry.