Laura Kerry
It’s been a tough week on top of a rough many months in this dear land of ours, and you, like many of us, might be looking for some emotional release. “CROVVS,” a new song from Philadelphia-based Stadium Armory, has arrived just in the nick of time.
From the first screech of feedback that opens the song to the echoing drum beats that join it, the track promises early on to replace any unwanted sound in your mind with the satisfying swell of noise. We are all little fragile now, though, and “CROVVS” treats us with care; the first 40 seconds of the song ease in with a gentle but suspenseful cymbal beat, high synth voices that stop short of shrill, and a muffled, restrained vocal melody. By the time the suspenseful moment of quiet comes, Stadium Armory has prepared us for what follows. As each voice—instrumental and human—intensifies, the song heightens into a gratifying cacophony of loud drums, buzzing electronic instruments, and woeful singing before the buzz fades out after three wonderful minutes of escapism.