{"product_id":"pre-order-16-10-26-tubs-the-cotton-crown-2026-repress","title":"Pre-Order 16\/10\/26 - Tubs, The: Cotton Crown (2026 Repress)","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ciframe width=\"full\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/HJB5GKHdZdA?si=VuLPrKkgAXmZAv1j\" title=\"YouTube video player\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThis item is available for pre-order only and will be dispatched on or around its release date (16\/10\/26)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Tubs' second album, \u003cem\u003eCotton Crown\u003c\/em\u003e, sees the Celtic Jangle boyband venture into darker, more personal territory while continuing to hone their highly addictive brand of songcraft. It’s a true level up album which sees the band expand their sonic palette to take in a kaleidoscopic range of influences: everything from soulful pub rock (Chain Reaction) to Husker Du aggression (One More Day) to melancholy sophisto-pop (Narcissist) gets a look in. As Pitchfork noted, The Tubs see jangle as a ‘vast world of moods and muses’ and \u003cem\u003eCotton Crown\u003c\/em\u003e sees them continuing to explore this world and creating a distinctly Tub-ular sound in the process. This is in no small part down to Owen ‘O’ Williams’ vocal performance- often compared to a young Richard Thomson- and his frank, bleakly funny lyric writing. \u003cem\u003eCotton Crown\u003c\/em\u003e sees him delve further into his favourite themes of love-psychosis, unsympathetic mentally ill behaviour, and the humiliations of being a musician in London. This time around, however, there’s a palpable sense of risk in his self assessments \/ confessions. No more so in the track’s closing track Strange- an accounting of the clumsy, intrusive, well-meaning social interactions that took place in the period following the suicide of his mother (the folk singer Charlotte Greig.) As Williams says: “I’d tried a few times to write a song about it. The result had always seemed either mawkish, simplifying or like I was hawking my trauma. But then this one came out, and it felt right because it looked at something smaller: the weird, unsatisfying, strangely funny ways everyone, including myself, acted after the dust settled.” The album artwork features an image of Williams as an infant being breastfed by Greig in a graveyard- a promotional shot taken around the release of her debut album (the re-issue of which was featured in The Guardian in 2023.) The essential trick \u003cem\u003eCotton Crown\u003c\/em\u003e plays is to offset Williams’ lyrical bleakness with joyous, hook-laden blasts of pop perfection. This is largely down to the guitar work of George Nicholls, who, across the album, effortlessly slips between the virtuoso jangle of Marr, the driving folk-rock of Pentangle and the chorus-heavy hi-fi grooves of contemporary bands like Tops or The 1975. Add to that the breakneck rhythm section of Taylor Stewart (Drums) and Max Warren (Bass)- who attack each song with power-pop ferocity, recalling Guided by Voices at their drunken-yet-tight best- and you’ve got yourself a recipe for indie rock greatness.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe Thing Is\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFreak Mode\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIllusion\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNarcissist\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eChain Reaction\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEmbarrassing\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOne More Day\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFair Enough\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eStrange\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ol\u003e","brand":"MERGE","offers":[{"title":"Black Vinyl LP","offer_id":54755008414042,"sku":"MRG903LP","price":24.95,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":54755008446810,"sku":"MRG903CD","price":13.95,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1481\/5374\/files\/Tubs-CottonCrown.jpg?v=1788964296","url":"https:\/\/freebirdrecords.com\/products\/pre-order-16-10-26-tubs-the-cotton-crown-2026-repress","provider":"Freebird Records","version":"1.0","type":"link"}