With "Cotton Crown" the band expands their sound palette to include a kaleidoscopic range of influences: from soulful pub rock to HÜSKER DÜ aggression to melancholic sophisto-pop, everything is there. As Pitchfork noted, THE TUBS see the jangle as a "vast world of moods and muses" and "Cotton Crown" shows them exploring this world further, creating a distinctive Tub-ular sound in the process. This is not least due to the vocal performance of Owen 'O' Williams, who is often compared to a young RICHARD THOMPSON, and his open, darkly comic lyrics. In "Cotton Crown" he continues to devote himself to his favorite topics: love psychosis, unsympathetic, mentally ill behavior and the humiliations of being a musician in London. This time, however, a sense of risk is palpable in his self-assessments and confessions. Focusing on life in the aftermath of his mother's (folk singer Charlotte Greig's) suicide, Williams sings about the awkward, intrusive and well-intentioned social interactions that followed. The album cover features an image of Williams as an infant being breastfed by Greig in a cemetery - a promotional photo taken around the release of Charlotte Greig's debut album. The essential trick of "Cotton Crown" is to offset Williams' lyrical gloom with cheerful, hook-laden pop perfection. This is largely due to the guitar work of George Nicholls, who effortlessly switches between the virtuoso jangle of JOHNNY MARR, the driving folk-rock of PENTANGLE and the chorus-heavy hi-fi grooves of contemporary bands such as TOPS or THE 1975.
