Crooked Cranes’ “This Is Only a Test” Is Basement Rock at Its Most Brilliantly Unhinged

What happens when high school friends hole up in a basement with guitars and no rules? You get Crooked Cranes and their brilliantly unhinged debut EP

Crooked Cranes have released their debut EP, "This is Only a Test". This EP is exactly what the title suggests. It is a no frills, all vibes snapshot of a band in their element. They are still figuring out things. But they are surely having a damn good time while doing it. This band is made up of high school best friends Josh Faw, Dylan Hornaday, Andrew Bateman and Josh's younger brother on bass. The entire EP was written and recorded in a basement where they grew up. And the charm of this EP is that, they seemingly never really left that basement. Crooked Cranes does not aim for polish or pretension.

This EP opens with "GF". In this song the band hits the ground running with a wild story of betrayal and a weird pride involving a man's girlfriend and his own father. The absurdity is both hilarious and weirdly relatable. It is just the right kind of chaos to start things off.

“This band leans heavily into story telling, personality and a whole lot of fuzz.”

"Dolfin" is a song that slows things down with a moody, dreamy beat about a mysterious girl who won't share her name. Along with this, "Interstate Song" maintains the mellow momentum. It is a perfect song for late night drives or equally hazy hangouts.

The song "Met a Gurl" brings a bit of heartbreak into the mix. It is a song about unfortunate divorce laced with frustration and raw edges. The EP closes with "NeWay". It is a song that captures the entire spirit of the EP. It speaks about getting high, tuning in and letting music be your escape.

The production of this EP is intentionally rough. There are no studio tricks or polished perfection here. Every sound and lyric feels like it is happening right there in the basement with you. And that is kind of the point. This is a band that does not take themselves too seriously. But they also know how to write songs that leave a mark. "This is Only a Test" does not try to be deep or profound. But it is so unapologetically itself, it kind of is. It is loud, it is loose, and it is real. And sometimes that is all you need.