“As She Was” is a heartbreaking rock-ballad on the complexities of loving someone, but knowing it’s time to let go.
Showing so much promise already, alt-rock trio Crossroad Crooks returns with a new release, out February 24, proving the range of the band’s capabilities. Moving away for a moment from the heavy-hitting of their debut single, “As She Was” shows a gentler side of the band, albeit just as passionate. Channeling the true meaning of rock ’n’ roll, raw and real honesty, “As She Was” packs all of the tumultuous woes of a breakup, vulnerabilities and all, within the 4-minute track.
Lead vocalist and drummer Michael Davis-Penta digs deep with every syllable, attempting to get to the core of the heartbreak and find acceptance on the other side. Stacked up against John Leonard’s soaring guitar and Jedd Chlebowski’s steady rhythmic bass, the song comes to a cathartic hilt at the bridge of the song.
All of the emotions detailed previously come to a peak in a fiery crescendo, sweeping listeners up in the turmoil of what once was. Landing gracefully from the bridge, the band collectively transports listeners lightly back down to earth, only to find that the emptiness from the heartbreak still remains.
Leaving no emotional stone left unturned, “As She Was” encapsulates those kinds of knotted feelings that words can’t always fully reach. By working symbiotically, the band succeeds in creating a feeling rather than telling listeners what’s being felt. Riddled with tragedy, Davis-Penta sings “There’s no home besides a house with you.”
Hoping to build a life without somebody, the character grapples with the past while trying to survive in the present. “‘As She Was’ is about coming to terms with the end of a relationship and balancing the emotions that come from loving someone, but understanding their need for a change,” the singer explains. “It’s an alternative rock song with a lot of dynamic range from fairly stripped down verses to huge, full-band ascending choruses that create a sonic wall of raw emotion.”
