With a healthy injection of the sweet, sweet nectar of the gods that is early-00s alt-rock, indie band, CRUZ. released their debut single, “Life of Misery” in mid-June. Initially formed from a bond between frontman Sam Thatcher and lead guitarist Tom Cox while at university, the addition of drummer Simon Haynes and bassist Jamie Scholes make CRUZ., a four-piece indie band hailing from Sheffield, South Yorkshire. If “Life of Misery” is any indicator of the band’s capabilities, CRUZ. has all the makings of resparking the feel-good power of that coveted early-aughts indie sound. Amassing inspiration from bands like Arctic Monkeys and The Strokes, CRUZ. is in the process of recording and compiling a collection of songs in the form of their debut album.
“I first met Sam through a friend of mine,” lead guitarist Tom Cox shared with me. Cox and his friend had intended to have a night out, and met his friend’s flatmate, Sam, by happenstance. “He had ‘pre-drinks’ at his flat. While I was waiting for the toilet– which was in his room– he had a guitar, which I picked up and started playing,” Cox continued. “[Sam] then came in and started playing a bit as well. At this point, we never really thought of anything to come from it, but then Sam started showing me a few of the songs he had written towards the end of first year. From there we began combining and writing our own stuff.”
The sheer optimism of “Life of Misery” sort of contradicts the track’s title, as the single oozes nothing but encouragement. A sub-genre of song for which I have the softest of spots, “Life of Misery” follows the near-never-failing equation of the “upbeat sad song.” The track encourages presence, despite challenging circumstances, with a “might as well make the best of it” theme. “Too soon / Too late / It’s only right, at times you have to tempt fate,” Sam sings on the track’s bridge, motivating the listener to jump on opportunities as they come. The track rallies listeners to do less thinking and more acting, to forget the path of least resistance and to follow the path that feels right to them, paying no mind to conventionality.
After chatting briefly with Cox, who seems to spearhead the majority of the press for the band, he shared that CRUZ. only has 3 songs recorded with “loads of demos ready to go.” Cox also shared that the band hopes to cultivate an album that catalogs “the ups and downs in life, different emotions, experiences and feelings that speak to the people.” CRUZ. will perform their first official show on August 25th at The Washington in Sheffield.