It’s always nice when old heroes put emerging talents in the spotlight. Thanks to a fascinating conversation – full of growls and laughs – on the Confidential Show on BBC6 between Iggy Pop and Tom Waits and their eclectic choice cuts, I discovered Spiritual Cramp, a San Francisco-based punk outfit named after a Christian Death song. In an interview with Alternative Press, vocalist Michael Bingham nicely expressed what they stand for: “You know the cover of the Ramones’ Subterranean Jungle? That’s what our band is supposed to sound like.” His “hard mod” description also is quite accurate.
During the BBC6 broadcast, the raucous track Dog In A Cage from their 2021 Here Comes More Bad News EP was played, but the band’s first release dates back to 2017 and reportedly they’ve been writing music together for much longer. So I’m late to the party, but still in time for their long-awaited self-titled debut LP that came out last month, a somewhat more polished listening experience. The ten new tracks still contain cinematic soundscapes (“Spiritual Cramp Television”) and Clash-esque dub elements, but actually it’s a rock train that doesn’t stop at intermediate stations, thundering on for 26 minutes. It doesn’t get much more exciting than this.
Spiritual Cramp’s self-titled album, produced by Michael Bingham and Michael Fenton of the band, is out now digitally and on vinyl LP through Blue Grape Music.
Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Blue Grape || Discogs || Spiritual Cramp