What’s so special about ‘I Don’t Know Who I Am’ is that it reunites the Jarman family with Sonic Youth’s Lee Ranaldo. Long time Cribs fans will remember him as the voice of the impassioned monologue on the unexpected Men’s Needs, Women’s Needs, Whatever-hit ‘Be Safe’. The band called on him to lend some magic to ‘I Don’t Know Who I Am’ because they recognised similarities between their latest work and the 2007 collaboration.

This is why The Cribs think the two are similar: “‘I Don’t Know Who I Am’ (although ultimately quite different) came together in much the same way as ‘Be Safe’ did back in 2006 – we had a recording of a long, improvised noise-jam which we then tried to refine into a more cohesive song structure.

“Due to the similarities in the writing process, it made us think of Lee again…we had initially requested that he play noise guitar over the track, because we wanted to keep it somewhat abstract and create the impression of the melodies just kind of emerging out of the static…but he went beyond the call of duty and also added some beautiful vocal harmonies too, out at the Sonic Youth studio in New Jersey.” (The Sonic Youth studio in New Jersey is probably always the place to be).

Incidentally, Night Network has seen the inside of some very cool studios: the rest of the album was recorded at Dave Grohl’s 606 Studios in Los Angeles. This happened because Grohl invited the band to LA and told them to forget about the complications of 24-7 Rock Star Shit (2017 album which resulted in some unpleasant legal disputes for the band) and just start making music.

Feels so good to be back with Lee again – and good to see you guys were waiting for that day too! Thanks to everyone for listening/sharing/watching. You guys are the best https://t.co/yRF8aNsIew

— The Cribs (@thecribs) September 21, 2020

The latest single is perhaps not as sharp as we’ve come to expect from The Cribs over the years. Its sense of confusion is intrinsic to what they’re saying, though. The title betrays an identity conflict immediately, and the lyrics cover some difficult themes about identity and family relationships, which the single makes an admirable effort to tackle.

The band say this about its subject matter: “Lyrically, the song addresses the disconnect that Ryan and myself have always had with our biological paternal lineage – and how that may have shaped our views on masculinity, gender roles, and the men we ultimately grew up to be.”

Ranaldo and the Cribs actually already reunited once this year, to rerecord a lockdown version of ‘Be Safe’ (this means it’s filmed on Zoom). The 2007 song really is something of a masterpiece, though. It is unmistakably The Cribs, but it’s also like nothing else they’ve done since. The Cribs X Lee Ranaldo is perhaps a bit of an unexpected collaboration, but what a dream team they turned out to be, in 2007 and again in 2020.

Night Network tracklist:

1. Goodbye
2. Running Into You
3. Screaming In Suburbia
4. Never Thought I’d Feel Again
5. Deep Infatuation
6. I Don’t Know Who I Am (feat. Lee Ranaldo)
7. She’s My Style
8. Under The Bus Station Clock
9. The Weather Speaks Your Name
10. Siren Sing-Along
11. Earl & Duke
12. In The Neon Night

View this post on Instagram

Hey everyone, Just wanted to send a message to try and express our gratitude for your support, and the love we have felt from you since we announced our return! Towards the end of last year, we honestly could not even begin to imagine coming back and were seriously questioning our future as a band – it felt almost like a distant dream or something – so I can’t tell you how great it feels to be welcomed back like that. In these unsettling times for everyone, seeing you all come out for us in that way and knowing that you have been waiting for us all this time – and that we can depend on you – has been a huge morale boost…so we hope “Running Into You” has given you a kick too! If you haven’t already, check out the new single and video, pre-order the new album “Night Network”, and we will see you all as soon as we are able. We have so many more surprises planned for you – this is honestly just the tip of the iceberg… Hope you are all doing well, thinking of you all. Love The Cribs xxx

A post shared by The Cribs (@thecribs) on Aug 18, 2020 at 2:04am PDT

The post is candid and heartfelt. The Cribs write, “in these unsettling times for everyone, seeing you all come out for us in that way and knowing that you have been waiting for us all this time – and that we can depend on you – has been a huge morale boost…so we hope “Running Into You” has given you a kick too!” As well as being sincere, the Cribs are teasing about what’s coming next: “this is honestly just the tip of the iceberg…” Only last week, they returned with a tweet and a single: “Tonight – from 5pm… WE’RE BACK”

Tonight – from 5pm… WE’RE BACK@BBC6Music @steve_lamacq #RunningIntoYou pic.twitter.com/UCnlmtroTW — The Cribs (@thecribs) August 13, 2020

This is everything you need to know. The same evening as the tweet, Steve Lamacq premiered ‘Running Into You’ on his #6MusicAlbumClub show. It comes with a video, a kind of tongue-in-cheek affair about celebrity and media culture. There are some moments of spoof-documentary, contrasted with clips of excited fans at concerts that make you really want to be back in a crowd again. It’s shiny and slick and feels like three minutes of escapism to a parallel universe where 2020 has only been Cribs-themed.

The band told DIY Magazine that they wanted to embrace “the spirit of the inevitable Cribs-mania which we are sure the news of our comeback will precipitate.” The Cribs have had a cult-like following for more than a decade now. They knew what they were talking about with ‘Cribs-mania'; fans have expressed their delight that the Cribs are “single-handedly saving 2020.”

It’s Dave Grohl that Cribs fans have to thank for their comeback; he invited them out to Foo Fighters Studio 606 in LA and told them to forget about the complications of 24-7 Rock Star Shit and just start making music. If ‘Running Into You’ is anything to go by, then this was great advice.  The single has a very comfortingly familiar Cribs feel and it’s a great sign of what’s to come on the album. It sounds a lot like the singles from 2015’s For All My Sisters. Rough Trade describe Night Network as an album of “wall-to-wall Cribs bangers”  and they say it’s “as fresh, cathartic and vital as anything they’ve ever put out”. It feels like just the right moment for the Cribs to return. You can see the tracklist for Night Network below (out November 13).

1. Goodbye
2. Running Into You
3. Screaming In Suburbia
4. Never Thought I’d Feel Again
5. Deep Infatuation
6. I Don’t Know Who I Am (feat. Lee Ranaldo)
7. She’s My Style
8. Under The Bus Station Clock
9. The Weather Speaks Your Name
10. Siren Sing-Along
11. Earl & Duke
12. In The Neon Night