Dutch rock band Crate features a group of high-school friends reuniting after a ten year hiatus – to bring back the escapism jams of the good old days. Their 2025 album Sellouts features 8 original songs blending pop-punk, indie rock, blues and southern rock, across a high-octane playlist packed with fierce guitar riffs, timeless power chords, explosive drums, and catchy vocal hooks.
From Beach Boys to Supergrass to Green Day, the influence is broad but unconfined, and ultimately, this boy-next-door vocal, the live-sound of the reverb and distortion, and these melodies and stories, all paint an original image and sound for the band Crate.
Catchy hooks are essential, and every track on Sellouts has one. Arrangement is also crucial though, and from the quirky story of the opener, through the rather anthemic subsequent punk tracks, and onwards into the warmer, more intimate appeal of songs like A Grain Of Salt, versatility is brilliantly incorporated. Thoughtful stories line the pockets of these tracks, and the lyrics are as engaging as the melodies.
When it comes to choosing a favourite song, something you can’t help but fall into at volume, which lingers in mind after listening, it’s not an easy task with this project. In the end, it was a close tie between the opening three tracks. On reflection though, whilst Where The Hell Was I Last Night? has so much going for it, and Higher Ground is a distorted gem of a rock force, one song did consistently stand out; perhaps for that euphoric chorus that kicks things off.
Where Do We Go? is an absolute earworm of an indie rock single – a huge hook, harmonised voices united, a familiar existential crisis at the forefront, and catchy verses that feel familiar but fresh enough in this distorted, high-energy setting. The juxtaposition of confronting lyrical depth and joyful pop-rock escapism is mighty, and that makes this an easy favourite.
You only need to hear this song once to find yourself singing that title and tune for much of the rest of your day. And meanwhile, Crate offer a little more insight, their authentic and raw recording and performance style during the verses, and the power-chord pattern takes you right back to the nostalgia of pop-punk’s earlier years.
