CrashMonkeys Release New Music

When the presence of your band on the internet is absolutely nothing, that’s when things are the most exciting, I think. You have nothing for or against you, just a blank slate waiting to be etched into on your own time.

For Santa Cruz’s new funk-rock trio CrashMonkeys, that’s exactly what stands in front of them, save for a link to their latest single, “Dangerous,” and their brand-spankin’ new website. If the idea is to stay lowkey enough to let the music speak for itself, it’s a great one. In the age of over-sharing and leaving nothing to the imagination, more bands (and people in general, really) should take a second to pull the brakes and dial back their online presence. There’s something in there about how it’s reckless behavior, and how this lead is named “Dangerous,” but… I’m just gonna leave it there.

“Dangerous” is just about as much as you need to judge CrashMonkeys off of, and the judgment is that this single is no joke. Serving up funky guitar riffs and popping drums with a side of grizzled, wispy vocals primed for the big leagues, CrashMonkeys have never sounded better. (Get it, because this is their first sin- yeah, okay.) But even if there were a dozen other tracks to stack “Dangerous” up against, the single would outshine the competition without breaking a sweat. It has everything, from silly, singable lyrics to fun vocal inflections and catchy instrumentals, and the band showing off the song seems to be doing it with maximum cool and ease.

Due out later this year, Love And Kicks is set to be the very first CrashMonkeys EP. A handful of other tracks will undoubtedly be released in the lead-up to the project’s release date, and the eager anticipation is already setting in; there’s no telling what comes next, and that might be the most exciting part of all of this.

Leading man Stel Furet wrote and performed the entire song in the studio, outside of the percussion work, so seeing him as the sort-of ringleader of the entire CrashMonkeys project will be an interesting dynamic, as his solo EP under his name is a lot more restrained and blues-based. It could be a Julian Casablancas/The Strokes scenario, though, where the solo stuff is a way to get personal things done without damaging the brand, and the band is a way to perform with a higher concept and scope. As “Dangerous” doesn’t have anything in common with Furet’s EP, this assumption might hold up well in the coming months.

So, to quote the single itself, “Dangerous” might not be what you were looking for but it sure as hell is what you need if your summer playlists are looking dire. A surefire hit that’ll inject life into any room with a general pulse, CrashMonkeys have a great tune here and they seem to know what they’re doing. Give us more pop culture references, more funky good times, and more of that Santa Cruz individuality and we’ll be set, CrashMonkeys.

Michael Rand