Concert Review: JK Crowe Sings To Feeling Buried

At Mercury Lounge, JK Crowe took the stage and declared a simple truth. Life sucks! Every lyric felt ripped by the inner truths of someone who thought they were nothing, which was, literally, one of his verses. Yet, he and his guitar became emotionally relevant by going straight for the low, self-identification sparked by depression. 

With a trap bassline coming from his computer, Crowe’s music felt like Jeff Buckley had decided to open a cabana club. There was something slightly, tropically danceable to his synths, but they were grounded by guitar melodies and words that 100% said, “I hate myself.” It was as if Crowe wanted to rush you with two differing emotions in the same way water and soap dive into a laundry machine. Soon, you were feeling tossed and cycled by lyrics singing to what it is to be unmoved by yourself.  

In between tracks like, “What Fades” and “I Am Nowhere,” Crowe would fidget his hands, rub his face, and close his eyes as if to leap into a song was the same as jumping into a lake to teach yourself to swim. He felt insular as he treated his voice like a rake gathering leaved verses. He has light rasp to his voice that amplifies when he hits an emotion that feels purely raw. Considering his songs such as, “Someone Told Me” and “Low Life,” are all about feeling like the lowest form of being, his emotiveness could be potent. Yet, those who love a sad song will love Crowe’s brilliance. 

I truly feel mental health is growing as a theme in music, but there are so many flavors approaching this topic. Crowe’s style is not about feeling bad as much as feeling like the absolute worst. For him, it is not that you are “unclear” as much as you feel  clarified that you are nobody. Unfortunately, people do feel like that, and there is nothing like music to help you through such emotions. For More Information on JK Crowe Click Here.