This is Only a Test by Crooked Cranes could only be born from smoke-filled basements, decades-old friendships, and the charming chaos of small-town rebellion. Hailing from Fuquay Varina, North Carolina, this four-piece, formed by high school friends Josh Faw, Dylan Hornaday, and Andrew Bateman, with Fawโs younger brother on bass, presents an unfiltered, unpolished, and unapologetically honest EP that straddles the lines between garage rock, stoner grooves, and raw storytelling.
Opening with the unhinged jam โGF,โ the band sets the tone loud and dirty. Itโs a bruising tale of betrayalโwhere the girlfriend cheats with the narratorโs dadโand the existential crisis that follows veers hilariously between rage and reluctant admiration. The fuzzed-out guitars blaze with a nostalgic grunge energy, while the singerโs drawled delivery keeps things loose and tongue-in-cheek.
By the time โDolfinโ rolls in, things settle into a more melodic sway. A shimmery guitar riff flirts under the cool, thick vocals of a frontman clearly unbothered, trying to coax a name out of a mysterious girl with the line, โHey pretty girl, tell me whatโs your name? Standing in a corner, driving me insane.โ Itโs laid-back and charismatic, bringing a smoky warmth to the tracklist.
โMet a Gurl,โ meanwhile, drops into heartbreak territory, trading bravado for bruises. With a sullen riff and almost murmured vocals, it tells of love lost in a tone thatโs as disaffected as it is sincere. โI was blind to play the game / Left me drowning in the flame,โ he sings, like someone already halfway through the next beer.
This is Only a Test may not reinvent rock โnโ roll, but it doesnโt need to. It thrives in its own basement-built, buzzed-up world. Itโs grimy, funny, sad, and real, and thatโs exactly what makes it matter.
Review by: Naomi Joan