Summer Seizures Lyrics – The Cribs | from “Selling A Vibe”

The Cribs are slinging nostalgia like a faded Polaroid on “Selling A Vibe,” their first full-length in five years dropping January 9 via Play It Again Sam, and “Summer Seizures” captures that bittersweet summer haze—warm breezes turning cold when the good times ghost you.

Ryan Jarman penned this one in his Brooklyn kitchen last spring, staring down the barrel of another NYC summer kicking off with that familiar gut-punch of what-ifs. It’s classic Cribs: scrappy indie rock laced with punk snarl and unexpected synth shimmer, produced alongside Patrick Wimberly (the Chairlift alum who’s got a knack for those glossy edges).

The track hums with bright, riff-driven hooks that build like a heatwave, but underneath? It’s all about those seismic shifts—love’s scars that “look good in the mirror” but rattle your bones for years, the pull of old flames and city ghosts whispering “wish I knew ya.” That chorus plea for “summer seizures” feels like chasing the chaos to numb the quiet, equal parts euphoric release and quiet ache. No frills here; it’s raw, road-tested energy, shot on 16mm for the video to keep it real amid all the digital gloss.

The album’s a vibe in name and nerve—12 tracks (give or take a hidden gem) of no-label defiance, ditching “indie” or “punk” tags for straight-up songs that hit like old mates catching up over pints. Think openers like “Dark Luck” setting a shadowy tone, mid-set bangers such as “A Point Too Hard To Make,” and closers that linger on paths not crossed. Recorded at The CRC in Greenpoint after the Jarman brothers—Gary, Ryan, and Ross—holed up for months, it’s their way of flipping the script on scattered lives (Ryan in NYC, the others UK-bound) into something cohesive and charged. Wimberly’s touch adds that subtle polish without sanding off the grit, turning scrapped ideas into a record that’s less about reinvention, more about reclaiming the spark.

The Cribs are cresting a quiet resurgence, post- “Night Network” singles that kept the fire flickering and a pandemic-forced hiatus that had fans hungry. Now 20 years in, they’re eyeing North American stages for the first time in eight—Riot Fest sideshows, Toronto dives, Brooklyn basements—proving the Wakefields-to-Wakefield trio’s still got that untamed edge, evolving from lo-fi rabble-rousers to elders who rock with purpose.

Dive into the Summer Seizures lyrics below and unpack its raw narrative. Don’t miss other Selling A Vibe tracks for more of The Cribs’ scrappy indie rock heart.