Never The Same Lyrics – The Cribs | from “Selling A Vibe”

The Cribs are charging back into the fray with Selling A Vibe, their ninth album and first in five years, hitting shelves January 9 via PIAS—and “Never The Same” is the sleek, shadowy single that sneaks up on you, turning nostalgia into a quiet bruise you can’t shake.

This one’s a slow-burn gut-check, co-written back in the day for Louis Tomlinson but reclaimed by the Jarman brothers as pure Cribs DNA: jangly indie guitars that twist into urgent riffs, Patrick Wimberly’s crisp production layering in subtle electronic flickers and driving drums that feel like circling a storm drain. It’s got that raw post-punk edge they’ve always owned—think early Strokes grit meets their own Wakefield wiriness—but softened just enough for the ache to land.

Lyrically, it’s dissecting the fallout of a frayed connection: those dominoes toppling from a botched order, the “little things you can’t explain” that leave you missing the mess. “Should be kept apart / At least that’s what they thought” sets the scene for a relationship autopsy, all regret and reluctant forward motion, delivered in Gary Jarman’s half-snarl that hits like a late-night text you regret sending. Dropped as a visualizer yesterday, it’s already got fans on X trading clips of that chorus hook, the one that loops “Things were never the same” like a scar itching under your skin.

Selling A Vibe lives up to its name—a 12-track shot of unfiltered energy, kicking off with the unreleased “Dark Luck” and weaving through bangers like “Summer Seizures” (the lead single out since August) and “Selling A Vibe” itself, plus gems such as “A Point Too Hard To Make” and “Brothers Won’t Break.” It’s the trio’s sharpest pivot yet, blending their lo-fi roots with Wimberly’s polish (the Chairlift alum who’s worked with MGMT and Sky Ferreira), all about capturing those intangible sparks without selling your soul. Recorded in fits and starts over years, it nods to their DIY ethos while flexing matured chops—no big concept album, just honest snapshots of brotherhood, burnout, and bouncing back. Early buzz calls it their most “stylish” since 2017’s 24-7 Rock Star Shit, with themes circling authenticity in a polished world.

The Cribs—Gary, Ryan, and Ross Jarman—are dropping this at prime revival hour, post-hiatus tours that packed UK dives and that emotional Steve Albini tribute last year keeping their indie cred ironclad. At 20 years in, they’re not chasing trends; they’re the ones who defined ’00s noise-pop for a new wave of kids, and this feels like the Wakefields staking their flag deeper, rawer, ready to remind everyone why they mattered.

Dive into the Never The Same lyrics below and unpack its raw narrative. Don’t miss other Selling A Vibe tracks for more of The Cribs’ wiry indie-rock fire.