Crywank are a three-piece Anti-Folk band from Manchester, England. They are… Read Full Bio ↴Crywank are a three-piece Anti-Folk band from Manchester, England. They are self-managed, unsigned and focus mostly on sad or silly songs.

Crywank started in 2009 with Jay Clayton attempting to do some folk-punk influenced acoustic music with no previous experience playing guitar. The first album "James is going to die soon" was inspired by a painful break up. Jay stated that "I wrote these songs out of frustration and sadness and they ended up making me feel a lot better, I hope they have a similar effect on you".

In 2012 Crywank released their second album 'Narcissist On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown'. Described as "a collection of paranoid songs mostly about me trying to understand my own sadness along with the concept of sadness as a whole. It was fueled by self help books and pot."

In late 2012 Dan Watson joined Crywank on percussion, and in early 2013 they released tour demos for their third album 'Tomorrow Is Nearly Yesterday And Everyday Is Stupid' which was released in October 2013.

In 2016 Jay and Dan began couch surfing to afford to be able to tour as much as possible. Over the next four years they performed over 500 shows in over 30 countries and released four albums.

Crywank announced their breakup following a world tour in 2019, alongside the album ‘fist me til your hand comes out my mouth’’ a huge departure in sound and the first release to include songwriting from Dan and explained the tense relationship between Jay and Dan that had developed over the years on the road.

Their breakup tour was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic and the North American and European dates had to be rescheduled numerous times. During this time Jay was in a house fire, which led to the release of a solo Crywank album ‘Just Popping In To Say Hi’ that was written and recorded over three days.

Between 2022-2023 Crywank managed to continue their final tour and performed 100 shows in the USA and over 50 shows in the UK and Ireland, often with bass player Jules Noel (AKA Guard Petal). In 2024 it was announced that Crywank will no longer be breaking up and Jules would be joining the band.

The name Crywank comes from reclaiming a cruel nickname given to Jay during a period of depression. Jay has since said that if they knew how popular the band would have become they probably would’ve chosen a different name.

Is That Crazy Enough For Ya'? Want Me Take A Shit On The Floor?
Crywank Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Out of fear of romantic excess
I seperate passion
From all conversation
And in the rare moments you touch me
I silently deal with the palpitations

I entered this life
With little expectations

But soon became absorbed by ideas
That I built above my station

I express the mundane
Despite my thoughts being manic
And exhaust the part of my brain
That allow me to panic
Someone unatainable dictates my emotional stability
Mesmerized with how desinterested you are with me

You're detrimental to my mental health

The more I love you,
The more I hate myself.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Crywank’s song “I Don't Know About What Happened... (Because Once You Start Writing It All Becomes Fiction)” is a raw and honest account of the struggles that come with wanting a romantic connection with someone. The first verse describes how the fear of being too invested in romantic feelings can cause a person to distance themselves from any genuine conversation that could lead to those feelings. The singer expresses that in the rare moments that they do feel some connection with the person they are interested in, it causes them to feel tremendous palpitations - an indication of the intensity of their emotions despite their efforts to suppress them.

The second verse takes a more introspective turn, as the singer describes their expectations when they entered life but how they were soon absorbed by ideas that surpassed their station in life. The third verse reveals the singer’s struggle with mental health, as they find themselves unable to regulate their feelings, experiencing overwhelming emotions that they feel that someone unattainable, i.e., the person they are interested in, has the power to dictate their emotional stability. The final verse concludes with the singer acknowledging that their love for this person is detrimental to their mental health, and despite this, they are unable to stop themselves from loving them, leading to increased self-hate.

Line by Line Meaning

Out of fear of romantic excess
Because I fear becoming too committed in a relationship,

I seperate passion
I avoid expressing strong emotions,

From all conversation
And keep things casual in my talks,

And in the rare moments you touch me
But when you do briefly show affection,

I silently deal with the palpitations
I try to conceal the physical sensations it causes me.

I entered this life
I was born into this world,

With little expectations
Without any grand aspirations,

But soon became absorbed by ideas
But later, I became fascinated by concepts,

That I built above my station
That were beyond my capabilities and status.

I express the mundane
I articulate ordinary things,

Despite my thoughts being manic
Even though my mind is in a frenzied state,