Crumb

With a unique spin on dreamy indie pop that’s both jazzy and psychedelic, Crumb is a four-piece led by main songwriter Lila Ramani. The band issued a pair of EPs from college in Massachusetts before moving to Brooklyn to record their full-length debut, 2019′s soporific Jinx. In 2021, they issued their sophomore effort, Ice Melt, which slightly clarified off-kilter atmospheres. They were still distinctively spaced-out, however, on more enlivened 2023 singles like “Crushxd” and “Dust Bunny, ” both of which paved the way for 2024′s Amama. Established by Tufts University students in the mid-2010s, Crumb consists of Lila Ramani (vocals, guitar), Brian Aronow (synths, keyboards), Jesse Brotter (bass), and Jonathan Gilad (drums). While still based in Massachusetts, they recorded the three-track Crumb EP with producer John Scott, releasing it in 2016. The Locket EP followed in 2017. After some headlining dates, they joined (Sandy) Alex G and Hovvdy on a tour of the U.S. later that same year. Crumb then relocated to Ramani’s native Brooklyn and co-produced their debut album with Gabe Wax, bringing in Scott for additional production and mixing. The resulting Jinx arrived on Crumb Records in 2019. For their next album, the band convened in Los Angeles with producer Jonathan Rado. More refined but still offering wonky atmospheres, the resulting Ice Melt arrived in April 2021. More rhythmically invigorated 2023 singles such as “Crushxd” and “Dust Bunny” found them rejoining Rado and adding producer Johnscott Sanford (John Legend, Saweetie) to the mix. Both songs were included on their third full-length album, Amama, which arrived in May 2024. ~ Marcy Donelson