“Play The Game” is the newest single from Sheffield 4-piece band Cruz – fresh off the back of a very successful 2024 – having a headline show at Sheffield’s iconic venue The Leadmill, to playing Festivals like Isle of Wight and more – they’ve got straight back on it.
Straight off – the intro to the song is loud, pulsing and captures attention – it tones it down ever so slightly to allow the vocals to come in, which is done perfectly.
The backing track throughout this remains consistent, blending together well to create a smooth and enjoyable listening experience – with some piercing, relatable lyrics.
The vocals are VERY impressive, it gives that smooth tone that would work with a number of genres and despite being that bit softer than the backing track, still remains the focus, which is impressive.
The guitar solos in the last third of the song are infectious and catchy and whilst the lyrics then consist of “na na na na” etc – it doesn’t lose it’s momentum, infact it is brilliantly placed and ends the song on a high – I’m really pleased with that.
The tune gets more and more catchy the more I listen to it – I imagine it would be a great one to play live to a crowd – and to sing-along to, especially towards the end.
The music video is impressive too – whilst it’s simple, showing the band performing the tune, the black and white element adds that bit of mystery and their use of lighting is fantastic – the expressive emotion really comes across from all the band and it’s powerful.
The artwork is dark and includes a silhouette of a joker and some falling dice, which really captures the “game” and I imagine what is symbolising a feeling of played, it’s simple, but clever and highlights the message in the lyrics.
Overall a very relatable, well crafted track that’s left me wanting more – I’m itching to see what CRUZ have up their sleeve next.
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