Extra Life



There are two bands using this name: 1. crushed is the indie pop project of Bre Morell and Shaun Durkan. The story of Los Angeles duo crushed is written across midnight transmissions and a shared taste for maximalist dream pop. In the early 2010s, Bre Morell, who fronts the band Temple of Angels, hosted a graveyard shift college radio show and used to play music from Shaun Durkan’s former band Weekend. Nearly a decade later, Durkan aired Temple of Angels on his own show; Morell reached out to thank him, and the exchange sparked a long-distance project. They filled an audible moodboard with ‘90s classics from the likes of Natalie Imbruglia, Sneaker Pimps, and The Sundays; songs that transported them back to places of comfort and discovery. These touchpoints provided a palette for crushed to experiment without expectations, purely for the fun of it. –Ghostly International 2. Crushed is a metal band. Tune into any modern rock radio station or watch an episode of ‘Headbanger's Ball' circa the early 21st century, and the amount of hard rock/metal bands that mix aggression with melodic detours is staggering. But then along comes a band like Crushed, who does indeed mine the aforementioned territory, but introduces true song craft into the mix on their 2007 release, ‘My Machine.' And voila, there's a band that stands out from all the foolers. Case in point, if you judge the album opening What Kind of Life just by its opening, it's understandable to lump Crushed with the rest of aforementioned gang — but stick with it, and several pleasant surprises are in store (namely, the chorus and how the song ends). Also included is Dwell, which starts off with some Tool-esque bass strumming, before turning into alt-pop, and Ether, which includes some fine vocalizing by frontman Mark Lauer, while a track like Leaving could easily crossover to the mainstream masses. The group has also hooked up with a producer that needs no introduction - Mr. Mike Clink (yep, the Appetite for Destruction Mike Clink) — who has no problem navigating through the varied sonic waters of ‘My Machine.' The end result is a strong album that is not copycat, yet also is not far removed from the mainstream. Greg Prato Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.