W/e 16/01/26 - Jenny on Holiday, The Cribs, Dry Cleaning, Winged Wheel, Chase and Status

A below average week to kick start 2026.

Congrats to The Cribs for being our winners. Dry Cleaning can consol their last place and worst showing of their 3 reviews so far with the TOTW.

Paul has his 3rd 😄 since joining the party. Andy keeps the ☹️.

Chase and Status land in the bottom half of the classics between The Maccabees and The Psychedelic Furs.

Andy

The Cribs - I’ve never really got on with The Cribs as I find their nasally Leeds vocals a bit annoying. This isn’t quite as bad but still falls into the old traps a bit and it is just basic indie at heart 6

Dry Cleaning - Oh for some landfill indie! What an annoying dirge this is. I’m sure the last album at least had a couple of entertaining lyrics, not so this time around 3

Jenny On Holiday - Delightful upbeat poppy tunes with more than a little bit of a Chvrches vibe. A lovely listen 7

Winged Wheel - Didn’t really vibe with this, it was occasionally like a quiet Mogwai but mostly don’t work for me 5

TotW - Appetite by Jenny on Holiday

Chase & Status - I own this for some reason, think I picked it up last time they played the fest. It’s probably in the upper levels of this sort of thing but on the face of it it’s a bit silly 6.5

Guy

The Cribs – Enjoyed this. Some good rollicking indie guitar music. Tuneful and energetic stuff - 7

Dry Cleaning – Lordy. This sounds like a load of teenagers jamming (badly) in a bedroom while their mate recites her poetry over the top. Painful stuff – although got a bit better in second half – 5.5

Jenny On Holiday – Best album of the week. Yes, there’s some Chvrches in there but also a bit of Haim too. Good guitar based pop – 7.5

Winged Wheel – Not one for me this. Again a bit experimental. Lots of noodling guitars in a rather directionless way. Touch listen - 5

TotW - Appetite by Jenny on Holiday

Chase & Status – I intentionally put this on when I was in the gym in an effort to get me motivated. But it was mostly just noisy and tuneless and gave me anxiety. I’m sure they’ll get the crowd going at Reading though – 5.8

Phil OG

The Cribs 6.5

Just about avoids being indie landfill but only just.

Dry Cleaning 4.5

Musically decent but completely hamstrung by the mumbled, bored-sounding vocals. It was a struggle to get through this.

Jenny on Holiday 6.5

OK breezy pop. Pleasant first few tracks ; after that boredom quickly sets in.

Winged Wheel 6.8

Interesting electronic weirdness. Vaguely reminiscent of Mandy, Indiana but only about half as good.

TOTW – Winged Wheel – More frog poems

Classic

Chase and Status 6.8

As dancey albums go, not bad. Midnight caller sounded very Massive Attack.

Phil (New)

The Cribs - 7.3

For some reason finding it really hard to write anything about this one even though I enjoyed it. Decent indie guitar album.

Dry Cleaning - 6.9

Initially found the spoken word a bit odd, but really got into this. Musically and lyrically interesting, and cleaning is demeaning.

Jenny on Holiday - 5.5

Ok pop stuff. Tracks similarly uninspiring all the way through.

Whinged Wheel - 5

Some interesting soundscapes building tension throughout, but lacking a final destination or release. Sounded very much like a film soundtrack.

TOW: The Cribs - looking for the wrong guy

Chase and Status - 8 Loaded with attitude, brilliant opening tracks with some decent drum and bass and chewy dubstep loops. Lost me a little in the middle with the heavy Tinie and Dizzee tracks, but finishes strong.

Carlo

The Cribs – 7.4

Don’t think I’ve ever really listened to The Cribs properly. TBH, I was probably expecting more – but still solid.

Dry Cleaning – 4.5

If ever an album cover matched the songs, this is it. I don’t mean that in an offensive way, just how she sounds. Not for me.

Jenny on Holiday – 7

Quite a sweet pleasant album, albeit her voice is a little girlie for me.

Winged Wheel – 5.8

Reverby. I think that pretty much sums it up. Listenable, but all a bit too airy.

Classic

Chase & Status – 7.7

This raised the energy levels. I’ve never listened to a full album of theirs in order, which made it an interesting mix – from Dizzee to White Lies!

TOTW: The Cribs, Looking for the wrong Guy.

Justin

The Cribs - enjoyable though not groundbreaking indie. No bad songs. 6.9

Dry Cleaning - Slow monotone vocals and DIY beats. I do think the lyrics are clever and I find it all quite hypnotic and did give it quite a few spins. 7.1

Jenny on Holiday - boring 4.9

Winged Wheel - bit too slow in places but always enjoy a bit of ambient guitar soundscape. 6.8

TOTW Dry Cleaning - Hit my head all day

Chase & Status - I don't mind a bit of drum n bass or ragga or dancehall but combined like this it just doesn't work. Blind Faith is good but just because of the sweet sensation sample. 5

Sam

The Cribs : Starts brightly and becomes a bit average indie : 7

Dry Cleaning : I quite liked this : excellent indie music and I don’t mind her delivery . This week’s winner with 7.3

Jenny on Holiday : just average pop . 6

Winged Wheel : wafty and bit shit : 5

TOTW : slim pickings but I like songs about food so I’ll go for Evil Evil Idiot by Dry Cleaning

Chase and Status : surprisingly enjoyable! Don’t like dnb much but this is gloriously bonkers . 8

Paul

The Cribs (7.5)

Good solid decent paced indie, right up my street!

Dry Cleaning (7.5)

Enjoyed this. Definitely something different, found it quite hypnotic in some respects but understand why it might annoy! Improved the more I listened.

Jenny on Holiday (6.5)

A nice enough pop album, liked her voice. A pleasant inoffensive listen.

Winged Wheel (5.5)

Some interesting tunes but found listening a full album of it hard going.

Chase & Status (8)

Enjoy a bit of DnB, decent energy levels throughout.

TOTW - Dry Cleaning, Hit my head all day

Simon

Cribs: generic indie rock with no distinguishing features - not bad per se, just eminently forgettable. 5.8

Dry Cleaning: Flo's spoken word vocals were always going to make this a bit marmite, but it definitely grew on me - some great guitars in places and the lyrics are interesting. 7

Jenny on Holiday: she's got an ear for a tune and it's very easy listening but apart from Do You Still Believe In Me? there wasn't anything that particularly attracted my attention. 6.5

Winged Wheel: enjoyed this, bit of a cosmic jam of woozy guitars and experimental sounds that has just enough life about it to stop getting too bogged down. 7.3

Chase & Status: have never been the biggest D&B fan and didn't find anything here likely to change my mind - found it quite hard going, tbh. 5.5

TotW: Dry Cleaning - Hit My Head All Day

Jim

The Cribs 6

Just above Indie-by-numbers, but only just.

Dry Cleaning 6

Defo the most thought provoking this week. At times dreadful but when the musicians put their backs into it there were some quality moments. Probably good therapy for something, just not sure what.

Jenny on Holiday 5.5

Started off interesting, thought maybe she was drifting in Lorde territory, but it failed to maintain much interest.

Winged Wheel 6.5

Just about the winner this week – pleasant trippy shoegazey stuff.

TOTW: Not overrun with options but I’ll go Whinged Wheel – I See Poseurs Every Day

Chase and Status 8.5

Relentless opening handful and few cracking euphoric ones in the 2nd half. It does go bit off course and hard in middle with Dizee and Ceelo, but that aside it’s full of bangers. Fool Yourself, Flashng Lights, Time and my personal fav Hitz are all fantastic. Should be quite a show in August.

Mark

The Cribs - a band I always thought I should be more into, liked their last album and thought this was good too, saw them live recently and they were ace. Any band that's had Johnny Marr as a previous member must have something about them - 7.5

Dry Cleaning - feared the worst as I really didn't like their last one, but I actually thought this was pretty good. The spoken word vocals do make it all sound a bit samey though - 5

Jenny On Holiday - lightweight Pale Waves / Chvrches vibes, pleasant enough without really making much of an impression on me - 5.5

Winged Wheel - started off promisingly and there were some nice moody soundscapes, but then it does go a bit dirgey in places, especially Canvas 8 which sounded like eight minutes of them tuning up - 6

TOTW - Summer Seizures by The Cribs

Erol

The Cribs - decent enough indie guitar tunes but it veers towards dullsville by the end. 6.5

Dry Cleaning - the spoken word vocals really got on my nerves. Cut that bit out and this was half listenable. No more than that though. 5

Jenny on Holiday - an average offering of girly indie-pop but I can’t help but think I’m getting too old for this type of music. 5.5

Winged Wheel - the best album of the week, just about. An interesting selection of shoegazy sound scapes that caught my attention. 6.7

TOTW - Speed Table, Winged Wheel

Chase & Status - the first half is ace. It loses some momentum in the second half but I was still tapping my feet all the way through. Time and End Credits are delightful tracks to bring the album to a close. Am looking forward to seeing them in the summer. 8

Matt

The Cribs - 6.2

Dry Cleaning - 4.5

Jenny on Holiday - 6

Winged Wheel 6.8

TOTW Winged Wheel, Canvas 2

Adam

The Cribs

Glad that the brothers from Wakefield are back making music. While I enjoyed the indie riffing - I felt it’s lost a bit of edge compare to their early stuff, having been a huge fan of their first album. Good, but not great. 7

Dry Cleaning

Its takes something to get laid back music like this to work and I don’t think they manage it. Not sure this would carry a good live experience 5

Jenny on Holiday

Some quite good melodic tunes in here 6

Winged Wheel

Musically unconventional and meandering. 5

TOTW: Cribs - A Point Too Hard to Make

Chase & Status

Energetic D&B. Lots of collabs with influential musicians at the time like Tinie Tempah, Plan B etc. Even my beloved White Lies. Album contains plenty to move around to - with End Credits and Blind Faith the stand out tunes. Good bit of nostalgia. 8

Annette

The Cribs: 6.5

Dry Cleaning: 5

Jenny on Holiday: 6

Winged Wheels: 6

TOTW: Dark Luck by The Cribs

Classic: Chase & Status - 8