The Cribs have begun the new year by unveiling one last preview of their upcoming album ‘Selling A Vibe’, set to be released this Friday (9th January) through Play It Again Sam. The new single “Never The Same” provides a welcome dose of sunny nostalgia, following previous releases ‘Summer Seizures’ and ‘A Point Too Hard To Make’ as the third track from the album. Guitarist and vocalist Ryan Jarman describes it as “a throwback to our original approach.” He further explains that the song is “streamlined” and “stylish,” noting that it expresses the feeling of being a different person at this point in life while longing for the chaos of one’s earlier existence, even if that longing doesn't quite make sense anymore.
While it bears all the characteristics of a classic Cribs song, ‘Never The Same’ was initially written for Louis Tomlinson, a member of One Direction who has since embarked on a solo career, after the Jarman brothers played at his Away From Home festival in Italy. Bassist and vocalist Gary shares that “we had been speaking with Louis’ manager about possibly writing and/or producing some tracks for his next album, so when we got back to Wakefield, we quickly worked on this, finishing it up in just a couple of hours.” He adds, “We then became attached to it and decided to keep it for ourselves! I think the freedom of creating it for someone else allowed us to avoid overthinking, enabling us to get straight to the core – it all came together quickly. So in a different timeline, it could’ve been a song for Louis.”
Watch the band-directed video for ‘Never The Same’ here:
Catch The Cribs live this year on the following dates:
JANUARY 2026 (instores and outstores)
08 Circuit, Kingston, UK
09 Rough Trade East, London (matinee - sold out)
09 Rough Trade East, London, UK (sold out)
10 Rough Trade, Liverpool (matinee - sold out)
10 Rough Trade, Liverpool (sold out)
11 Pie & Vinyl (signing), Southsea
11 Papillon, Southampton
12 Thekla, Bristol (sold out)
13 O2 Academy, Oxford
14 The Parish, Huddersfield (matinee)
14 The Parish, Huddersfield (sold out)
15 Oran Mor, Glasgow (matinee)
15 Oran Mor, Glasgow (sold out)
MARCH 2026 (UK headline tour)
18 Boiler Shop, Newcastle^
20 Foundry, Sheffield^ (sold out)
21 Albert Hall, Manchester^ (sold out)
22 O2 Institute 1, Birmingham^
24 Rock City, Nottingham^
25 Tramshed, Cardiff^
27 Concorde 2, Brighton^
28 Concorde 2, Brighton^ (sold out)
JULY 2026
11 Millennium Square, Leeds
26 Truck Festival, Steventon^ = with Courting
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They initially composed the song for Louis Tomlinson of One Direction, but ultimately chose to retain it for themselves!