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.
Welcome To Castle Irwell
Crywank Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And when I called her I realised why
Although she was honest
She spoke with a cold tongue
I broke down in the courtyard when it came to light
She broke every promise in the space of one night
She made me hate this city, immediately
I thought she was something else
As it turns out she was just someone else
And there were four questions I wanted to ask
Do you love him yet?
Do you think it will last?
Were you wearing the pants I bought you?
Do you ever think he thought you, resembled me in some way?
Boy left to break
Spent two years together, I thought I made her better
All my best friends told me I should forget her
But I never could
I thought that I should
I need to, stop thinking about the things I'll never do again and just be
Glad I did them, and I'm so glad I did them
First love does not mean best love
And best friends may not mean best friends forever
But they both mean at some point, somewhere, someone did care
And their memory's still there
I know she was special
I know she was good
I know she wasn't flawless but I know I was loved
I know she had passion
I know she was kind
So why should ending alter my state of mind?
And although I find it hard to forgive her
I know that I will always forgive her
She said no regrets
And I say don't forget
In "Welcome to Castle Irwell" by Crywank, the singer wakes up feeling a strong urge to cry and realizes it's because of a phone call from their lover. Although the lover was honest, their words were cold and insensitive. Later that night, the singer discovers that their lover had broken every promise they made and made the singer hate their own city. The singer had thought their lover was special, but it turns out they were just like someone else. The singer reflects on their time with their lover and how even though their relationship didn't last, and their memories are still there. Ending things with their lover doesn't have to alter their state of mind.
Line by Line Meaning
I woke up this morning, wanting to cry
I felt extremely emotional and overwhelmed with sadness when I woke up
And when I called her I realised why
Upon talking to the person I was thinking about, I understood the reason for my distress
Although she was honest
The person I talked to was truthful with me
She spoke with a cold tongue
However, their words lacked compassion or warmth, making the conversation difficult
I broke down in the courtyard when it came to light
Upon realizing the truth, I was so overcome with emotion that I had a breakdown in the courtyard
She broke every promise in the space of one night
The person I talked to betrayed me by breaking all their promises in a single night
She made me hate this city, immediately
Their actions caused me to immediately dislike the place where I was living
I thought she was something else
I had a certain perception of the person beforehand
As it turns out she was just someone else
But upon realizing the truth, I realized that they were not who I thought they were
And there were four questions I wanted to ask
I had a series of important questions that I wanted answered
Do you love him yet?
Have you already fallen in love with someone else?
Do you think it will last?
Do you believe that your new relationship will be long-lasting?
Were you wearing the pants I bought you?
Out of curiosity, I wanted to know if you were still wearing the items of clothing that I gave to you
Do you ever think he thought you resembled me in some way?
Have you ever considered if your new partner sees similarities between me and yourself?
Boy left to break
I was left heartbroken and anguished from this experience
Spent two years together, I thought I made her better
We spent two years together, and I believed that I had a positive impact on her life
All my best friends told me I should forget her
My closest friends advised me to move on from the situation
But I never could
Despite their counsel, I couldn't find it within me to forget about her
I thought that I should
I believed that I needed to keep trying to move on
I need to, stop thinking about the things I'll never do again and just be
I acknowledge that I need to move on from the past and focus on the present moment
Glad I did them, and I'm so glad I did them
I'm grateful for the experiences and memories that we shared together, and I don't regret any of them
First love does not mean best love
I've come to understand that the first person you fall in love with may not always be the best match for you
And best friends may not mean best friends forever
I've also come to understand that even best friends may not always stay in your life forever
But they both mean at some point, somewhere, someone did care
However, even though those relationships may come to an end, they still signify that at some point in time, someone cared for and valued me
And their memory's still there
Even though those relationships have ended, the memories of them still persist
I know she was special
I recognize that the person I loved was unique and held a special place in my life
I know she was good
I know they were a kind and compassionate person
I know she wasn't flawless but I know I was loved
Even though they had faults, I know that they loved and cared for me
I know she had passion
I'm aware that the person I loved had things they were passionate about
I know she was kind
I hold the belief that they were a compassionate person
So why should ending alter my state of mind?
Despite the conclusion of our relationship, I don't believe it should negatively impact the way I view myself or the world around me
And although I find it hard to forgive her
Even though it's challenging for me to forgive the person for what they did
I know that I will always forgive her
I'm confident that ultimately, I will be able to forgive them
She said no regrets
The person I loved claimed to have no regrets about how things ended
And I say don't forget
And even though I've been hurt, I implore them not to forget our past and the positive aspects of our relationship
Contributed by Luke G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.