"A Point Too Hard to Make" Released: 28 October 2025
"Never the Same" Released: 5 January 2026
Selling a Vibe is the ninth studio album by English indie rock band the Cribs, released on 9 January 2026 through Sonic Blew[4] and PIAS Recordings. It was their first album in five years, following 2020's Night Network.[5] The band produced most of the album with Patrick Wimberly, with co-production from Miles Robinson. "You'll Tell Me Anything" was produced with Gordon Raphael.[1]
For their previous album Night Network (2020), the Cribs produced for themselves for the first time. Although it was widely acclaimed upon release, it had been their lowest charting record in the UK after a string of top ten albums. On Selling a Vibe, they chose Patrick Wimberly to produce, who had worked with artists such as Caroline Polachek, Ellie Goulding, and Paloma Faith.[6]Ryan Jarman told the NME that they opted for Wimberly because they were searching for a producer who was more on the pop-oriented end of the musical spectrum, so that the band would be forced to operate outside of their normal comfort zone, having previously worked with rock producers.[7]
Promotion and singles
On 18 August 2025, the Cribs announced Selling a Vibe and released its lead single "Summer Seizures", the first song they recorded for the album.[5] Accompanied with the single was a music video that shows the band performing live, directed by Andy Knowles and shot on 16 mm film. The subsequent month, the band began a North American tour in support of the album.[8]
A second single, "A Point Too Hard to Make", was released on 28 October 2025. As part of their 2026 UK tour, the band are scheduled to perform at Memorial Square in Leeds for the first time in ten years.[9] On 5 January 2026, four days before the album's release, the Cribs released the third and final single "Never the Same", which was written following a performance at Louis Tomlinson's Away from Home festival. It was initially intended for Tomlison's next album before the band decided to keep the song for themselves.[10]
According to the review aggregator Metacritic, Selling a Vibe received "generally favorable reviews" based on a weighted average score of 79 out of 100 from 6 critic scores.[12] Another aggregator, AnyDecentMusic?, gave the album 7.9 of out 10 based on a sample of nine critical reviews.[11]
In a four-and-a-half-star review for the magazine DIY, Joe Goggins said that by the time it closes with "Brothers Won't Break", the album is "a roar of assurance... that they remain one of the most irrepressibly vitals bands in Britain"; Goggins additionally praised the band's decision to enlist Wimberly as producer, feeling that they benefited from his presence.[2]Alexis Petridis of The Guardian, rating it four stars, thought that although it felt "a little more streamlined" in comparison to Night Network, "the melodies soar, the choruses hit, everything clicks faultlessly."[15] In Record Collector, Annie Zaleski said that with Selling a Vibe, the Cribs retain the consistency of their previous material but thought that it "is often cohesive to the point of being monotonous", ultimately rating the album three stars out of five.[3]
↑Earls, John (2 January 2026). "New albums – Reviews: The Cribs – Selling a Vibe". Classic Pop. No.101 (February 2026). Bath, England: Anthem Publishing. p.87. ISSN2050-6643.
↑Hasted, Nick (5 December 2025). "New Albums: The Cribs – Selling A Vibe". Uncut. No.347 (January 2026). Yalding, Kent, England: Kelsey Media. p.27. ISSN1368-0722.
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