"Chi-Town" is the first single taken from the fifth studio album by British

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...

band

the Cribs The Cribs are a British indie rock band originally from Wakefield, West Yorkshire, that formed in 2001. The band consists of twins Gary and Ryan Jarman and their younger brother Ross Jarman. They were subsequently joined by ex-The Smiths guit ...

, released in February 2012. The song was the band's first new material since "

Housewife A housewife (also known as a homemaker or a stay-at-home mother/mom/mum) is a woman whose role is running or managing her family's home—housekeeping, which includes caring for her children; cleaning and maintaining the home; making, buying an ...

" in August 2010, and later found release on fifth LP ''

In the Belly of the Brazen Bull ''In the Belly of the Brazen Bull'' is the fifth studio album by British indie rock band The Cribs via Wichita Recordings. It was released on 7 May 2012. The band announced the record title and track-listing on 14 February 2012. Background Af ...

'' in May 2012.

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...

Zane Lowe Alexander Zane Reid Lowe (born 7 August 1973) is a New Zealand radio DJ, live DJ, record producer, and television presenter. After an early career in music creation, production and DJing, he moved to the UK in 1997. He came to prominence thro ...

premiered the track, playing it three times on his show one evening, and "Chi-Town" was immediately released as a free digital download on a variety of music news websites. Recorded and mixed at

Electrical Audio Electrical Audio is a recording studio, recording facility founded in Chicago, Illinois by musician and recording engineer Steve Albini in 1997. Hundreds of independent music projects have been recorded there. Unlike most producers, Albini refuses ...

studio, Chicago with engineer

Steve Albini Steve Albini (pronounced ; born July 22, 1962) is an American musician, record producer, audio engineer and music journalist. He was a member of Big Black, Rapeman and Flour, and is a member of Shellac. He is the founder, owner and principal en ...

, the song received mastering treatment in Sterling Sound, New York City from Greg Calbi.

Physical release

Frequent band collaborator Nick Scott designed the sleeve, whereas Gary Jarman provided the cover image of the lo-fi Chicago skyline. The vinyl received release in purple, continuing a theme dating back to their debut of using a variety of colours, and gained the catalogue number 'WEBB344S'. The liner notes also indicate "this seven inch was given away with the album, ''

''".

"Better Than Me"

"Better Than Me", the 7-inch single B-side, initially found release as a 'treat' for those who pre-ordered the new LP as an "instant gratification track". Produced and engineered at Greenmount Studios,

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...

by Lee Smith and fellow

Wakefield Wakefield is a cathedral city in West Yorkshire, England located on the River Calder. The city had a population of 99,251 in the 2011 census.https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/census/2011/ks101ew Census 2011 table KS101EW Usual resident population, ...

resident Jamie Lockhart, the song reached completion though Chris Potter at Electric Mastering, London.Liner notes from "Chi-Town" 7-inch single (London: Wichita Recordings, 2012)

Miscellaneous

The band opted not to release an accompanying video with the song. Furthermore, "Chi-Town" failed to make a mark on the British singles chart due to BPI rules and regulations associated with free digital downloads.

Track listing

Footnotes

External links

official band websiteofficial record label website
{{authority control 2012 singles The Cribs songs Songs written by Gary Jarman Songs written by Ross Jarman Songs written by Ryan Jarman 2012 songs Warner Records singles Wichita Recordings singles