Hurt
The Crux
May 1st, 2012
Carved Records
It’s been 3 years since we have had a full album from Hurt. Their highly anticipated 6th studio album, The Crux, had it’s release date pushed back and is now set to hit stores on May 1, 2012. The albums first single, How We End Up Alone, hit rock radio several weeks ago and is litterally pumping the fans for this release.
Being supporters of the band since their signing to Capitol Records back in 2005, we were fortunate enough for the chance to sit down and listen to the album’s pre-release in its entirety. For those of us that have been fans from the beginning, this album has been quite the talk. The new line-up has been well received by the fans, and the new members have made HURT their own without changing that hard hitting, yet soulful sound we have come to know. While the tracks recorded for The Crux may not be as emotionally raw as those found on Volume I and Volume II, the anger and frustration behind J.’s voice is still as present as ever. But now, that anger and frustration are more focused and refined.
This album starts off with So When and re-introduces us to the Hurt we’ve all grown to love and admire. Eden, Links and Waves, and When It’s Cold are pulsing with hard hitting rock riffs and soaring vocals. J. Loren’s lyrics are very heartfelt. J. still writes from the first person view point and about topics that have special meaning to him as an artist and someone who’s felt the pains of life. These are the things we count on and expect. The album has some of the classic sounds we have come to expect from HURT, but there is also something new. The Crux’s content is brilliant and very well produced. The use of acoustic guitars and pianos is woven throughout the album’s 11 tracks.
As a HURT album, it’s a big departure from the Volume releases but is on track for their music’s natural evolution. The sound has evolved. You can hear it. You can feel it. One of the reasons that I have always been a HURT fan is that their songs have always been able to evoke some kind of feeling – passion, sadness, happiness – It was always the feeling that was the driving point for their music. The Crux does not disappoint.
