Pick of the Week: Band of Horses “Crutch”

By Amber Garcia, Staff Writer

Five years since their last album, Band of Horses is back with new music as they just released their latest single “Crutch.” The band is famous for emotional anthems and their eccentric sound. “Crutch” comes as the lead single of their sixth studio album Things Are Great. 

DIVING INTO THE LYRICS OF "CRUTCH" AND BAND OF HORSES' UNIQUE SOUND

“Crutch” was written by lead singer Benjamin Bridwell, and produced by Wolfgang Zimmerman, a well-known in-house producer. In a statement, Bridwell explained that the song was influenced by a personal experience of his. He went on,  “I feel like everybody has had a time when nothing goes right and you still have to carry on. I think that feeling hits you in this song even if you don’t know what the specifics are.”

The lyrics talk about how a relationship can be a crutch for you, or how you can be looking for someone to be your crutch. The vocalist sings, “I’ve got a crutch on you, wishing there was something that I could do, I’ve got a crutch on you.” The wordplay doubles the meaning to express the idea of having a crush as well.  The song has a catchy tune,  and it definitely has  Band of Horses’ signature sound with rock and folk instrumentation.

WHAT CAN WE EXPECT NEXT?

Band of Horses are expected to release their full upcoming album Things Are Great on January 21st, 2022. It will be  the first album to  include  members Matt Gentling and Ian MacDougall. Gentling toured with the band briefly in 2007, filling in as bassist and a backup vocalist, and rejoined in 2017. MacDougall began playing guitar and doing backing vocals for the band in 2017. While the two are not necessarily new, neither have been involved in creating a Band of Horses album before, leading to an exciting opportunity for a fresh sound. 

The band has been busy touring this Fall, starting it off with a show in Brooklyn, New York. They’re expected to move on from the U.S. to Europe come February.