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.
Late Night People Watching
Crywank Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Does phatic talk make your heart beat faster?
Your body is becoming a hand
She stares through me at some distant haircut
Politeness is just a gimmick now
All the proppian princes I know, are too scared to shout
The timidly besotted become the quickly forgotten
The lyrics to Crywank's song Late Night People Watching convey a sense of alienation and disconnection from society. The first line, "Grice is being flouted," suggests that the singer feels like an outsider, observing others who are not following the rules. The next line, "Does phatic talk make your heart beat faster?" highlights the emptiness of polite conversation - the kind of small talk that people engage in to avoid awkwardness but that ultimately feels devoid of substance.
The next lines are more abstract, with "Your body is becoming a hand" suggesting a loss of agency or control. "She stares through me at some distant haircut" creates a sense of disconnection from others, underscoring the singer's sense of loneliness. The final line, "Politeness is just a gimmick now," reinforces the emptiness of social norms and underlines the singer's sense of disillusionment with society.
Overall, the lyrics to Late Night People Watching capture the sense of disconnection and loneliness that can come with being an outsider. The song suggests that polite conversation and social norms are just empty gestures that do little to connect people to each other.
Line by Line Meaning
Grice is being flouted
The principles of effective communication (Grice's theory) are being ignored or broken
Does phatic talk make your heart beat faster?
Do you find meaningless chit-chat exciting or thrilling?
Your body is becoming a hand
You feel like your physical presence is turning into a mere tool or instrument for others to use
She stares through me at some distant haircut
The person you're with is not present in the moment and seems preoccupied or disconnected
Politeness is just a gimmick now
Being courteous or well-mannered is now seen as a superficial or insincere act
All the proppian princes I know, are too scared to shout
People who fit the hero archetype (as defined by Propp's fairy tale theory) are afraid to speak up or stand out
The timidly besotted become the quickly forgotten
Those who are shyly in love are often disregarded or overlooked by the object of their affection
Contributed by Tyler E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.