The Cribs have provided further details on their mutual decision to return to the original three-piece line up, after Johnny Marr recently broke the news of his departure following three years with the Jarman brothers.
Writing on their official website, Ryan, Gary and Ross revealed they had in fact returned to the studio with Johnny Marr to work on new material, but found the sessions weren’t working.
“There were definite intentions of continuing on together and making another record,” they wrote. “We even went into the studio with Edwyn Collins again last spring and started recording some stuff, but it just wasn’t really working. We were all pretty burnt at that point and that is why we decided that after eight years and four records we should take some time off.”
The trio went on to explain how the experience of writing and recording together in the absence of Johnny Marr, who was himself working on a solo album, exacerbated the the sense that ‘it just seemed like the right time to go our separate ways’.
“During that time we all intended on working on other projects,” they continued. “At some point late last year we just casually got together out in Portland as a three-piece and it was so much fun. Johnny had started working on a solo record in the time off, and it just seemed like the right time to go our separate ways.”
“We have a bunch of new songs and are embracing the lo-fi again. It never was about fancy studios and LA and all that. We are back in our usual environment and feeling good about it. We’ve got everything we need.”
The Cribs are expected to resume work on the follow up 2009’s ‘Ignore The Ignorant‘ following the completion of summer festival commitments.