REVIEW: Spiritual Cramp - RUDE

Older generations have always claimed that fashions come back around, whether the scooter, the yo-yo, or denim. The same could be said for music. Music that was once a hit a few decades ago comes back around and finds a new audience. SPIRITUAL CRAMP and their latest offering RUDE is somehow new but also wouldn’t seem out of place in the mid-00s.

For those unfamiliar with SPIRITUAL CRAMP, in a nutshell, they’re an indie punk band, but to dig in a little deeper, they’re a band that manages to pull influences from several decades of punk, whether it’s punk from the 1970s/80s, dance punk from the mid-00s, and modern San Francisco indie punk. It’s an eclectic mix of influences that all coherently intertwine to create something that’s equal parts nostalgic but also fitting perfectly within today’s modern world.

Kicking off the album is the intro track I’m An Anarchist which doesn’t really do the rest of the album justice, especially if you were to come into this album blind. While less than two minutes long, the meat of the track kicks in at 0:38, and it’s somewhat anticlimactic, especially when taking the rest of the record into account. It’s a sort of 80s SEX PISTOLS-style punk track, which feels like it gives off the wrong impression when the rest of the album contains much better tracks, such as At My Funeral and True Love (Is Hard To Find).

That’s not to say I’m An Anarchist doesn’t have its place on the album, but it definitely feels like a hard shell to crack to get through to the softer, tastier meat of the album. Fortunately for SPIRITUAL CRAMP, they’ve been leading the promo run for this album with the singles At My Funeral, Young Offenders, and Automatic.

One thing that SPIRITUAL CRAMP can be applauded for is evolving its sound without forgetting the band's roots. You can listen to their first EP Mass Hysteria, and still hear similar elements found in RUDE, the only real differences being that it’s a little more polished, and it’s also a step up from their debut self-titled album. RUDE is jam-packed with upbeat punk anthems that wouldn’t seem out of place in an A24 coming of age teen movie. It’s also just one of those albums you’ll want to get up and dance to.

For those of you who missed out on the dance-punk era of the mid-00s where bands like THE BRAVERY, BLOC PARTY, and FRANZ FERDINAND were ruling the roost, you’ll be able to experience it for your very own - minus the sticky booze-soaked floors of your local student union. That’s one thing to love about this album; it’s so incredibly catchy. There are a handful of big-room sing-alongs in this album, like the ad-lib hooks found in You’ve Got My Number (Bada ba ba…!) and “Everyone is driving me crazy” in the track, aptly named Crazy.

Overall, RUDE is a really interesting listen with influences being pulled from a smorgasbord of punk that could easily slide in alongside some of the greats of the modern punk movement (MILITARIE GUN and HIGH VIS), as well as some of the greats from a few decades ago (BLOC PARTY, THE MACCABEES, and FRANZ FERDINAND).

Now, does anyone know when the next student union Indie/Rock night is?

Score: 7/10

RUDE is October 24th 2025 on Blue Grape Music.

Words: Aaron Richardson

Photos: Sarah Davis