Photo by DYLAN LONG
Crumb, unlike the name, is a seven-course feast of dreamy pop-rock that leads you far away from the musically ordinary. Instead, this four-piece band is a never-ending journey on a road less traveled. Assuming their sound even desires definition, it draws hints of Hiatus Kaiyote, BADBADNOTGOOD, and a healthy dose of the mysterious. This past Thursday night, Crumb graced a packed crowd at Union Transfer with support from Divino Niño and Shormey.
Colorful light-filled balloons sat scattered across the stage, glowing and evolving from shades of red to purple to blue. The four-piece had a soothing presence, one that matches their fine-tuned sound. Each track was imbued with a combination of hypnotic riffs, the mesmerizing voice of frontwoman Lila Ramani, and both synths and organs that sound like “Riders On The Storm” after being spit out the other end of a wormhole. The music doesn’t lull as much as it mystifies however, with a consistently steady tempo throughout giving way to more head-bobbing in the crowd than awestruck drooling.
Crumb played a hearty blend of their biggest hits and hidden gems. The crowd ate up tunes like the title track off the band’s debut full-length album, Jinx, and oldies like “So Tired” which appeared on “Crumb,” the first project in what continues to be an entirely self-released discography. After nearly selling out Union Transfer just months after headlining the much smaller First Unitarian Church, Crumb will surely be returning to Philly bigger and better. What remains uncertain is what the future holds in the alternate reality they’ve created. — DYLAN LONG