Crobot: Those Low Life Types

There’s always been a place in rock and roll for the outcast and the misjudged. For many, it’s a community that embraces difference and allows for exploration into realms unfamiliar. CROBOT‘s legacy throughout their career has been that they lean into the odd and the fun parts of humanity and really make something crazy and unusual with it, without ever shying away from who they are as people; It’ part of why they have accumulated such a steadfast base of fans.

When asked how the band are doing on the road vocalist Brandon Yeagley responds with genuine warmth. “The tour’s been really great, since the first night, it’s been great to come back to the UK and always be welcomed with open arms.” We spoke while the band were in London, having been touring throughout the past few months, in the run-up to the release of their new album Motherbrain. “Sorry if you can’t hear me too well, I think I’m in the dungeons of The Underworld or something. There’s people tied up and stuff, so, if you hear any screams or whipping, you know!”

Fans of CROBOT are well aware of their brazen humour and unabashed enjoyment in everything they do. It’s clear from the way they present themselves on stage, from flamboyant outfits to crazy rubber legged dancing and Yeagley mounting himself upon guitarist Chris Bishop’s shoulders show after show. More than that, though, it’s in their music. Psychedelic, full of funk and blues, the band’s whirlwind style of playing stands out for miles. However, things seem to be taking a turn for CROBOT with just how that frenzied energy displays itself in their new material.

“Yeah, we really just took a step back and listened to the bulk of work of what we were pumping out and it just made sense of us to make a really heavy record this time around. We keep saying it but no one ever says “man, I really wish we never made that heavy record!” Yeagley laughs. He’s got a point. New songs like Low Life have more of a punch, more swagger and more chin-thrusting attitude than ever before. The bite comes from the more socially impactful lyrics, and the tone that they bring weighs in on the vibe of the music. “[We’ve tried] being a little more melodic and a little more lyrically and thematically relatable. I know that the UK can relate to that song a lot, the US, maybe not so much,” he laughs. “but, you know, this album is more grounded and something we really tried to make digestible and something that’s relatable to a great many people.”

Being passionate has always been the heart of what makes CROBOT work, and with more areas of human struggle to explore than ever before in the modern world, it’s evident that there was a feast of inspiration for the band. “We did over a hundred songs for this record, and we’ve been writing for a good couple of years so it’s been plenty of time for us to just soul search and come in and out of different sounds. There were a couple of months we were writing some songs that sounded a lot like Dio and then started going for a nineties grunge period [sound].”

The very nature of the grunge mindset is even more solidified with bringing on board Corey Lowery to produce. “Working with someone like Corey, whose one of the godfathers of that sound, we really wanted to tap into the whole grunge, nineties mindset that we grew up with like SOUNDGARDEN and THE MELVINS, stuff that’s really snarly and riffy and dirty and fuzzy all at the same time. But we’ll always hold on to the psychedelic, funky side of things too. Alpha Dawg is probably one of my favourite songs we’ve ever done, so it’s still a hodge podge of CROBOT sounds, but definitely leaning into a darker, grittier side of us.”

While the mood of the music has a more anti-establishment edge, the collective feeling is clearly one that holds true with the ethos of rock and roll; unite with your fellow freaks and outcasts. “Every time we come back to the UK, we have this family of Beardos that we’ve gained over the years, and they’re the most loyal fan base,” Yeagley states earnestly, “We can’t thank them enough for coming out to shows, and rekindling old friendships, or they’re putting us up in their houses. It’s just great to come back over and see that people haven’t forgotten about us, and want to come and hear us and come and see us.”

As we finish our time talking, we spoke for a moment about the continued rise of CROBOT in notoriety, from playing smaller venues and support slots to bigger and bigger shows of their own. Since the band’s debut EP Legend of the Spaceborne Killer and later in 2014, the full length Something Supernatural, they’ve amassed a huge popularity that seems to be ever growing. It’s easy to ponder if they ever feel any shifting sense of renown or distinction as they grow as a band? “Yeah, I mean we’re just happy to be playing in any capacity, but to have those fans who are campaigning behind us, bands like THE VIRGINMARYS too, who brought us over here back in the day, it’s really cool to see bands as much as fans supporting us. It’s a community, and everybody wants everybody else to succeed, so it’s cool to have that at the core of everything.”

Motherbrain is out now via Mascot Records. 

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