New single from Crossword Smiles Falling All Over Myself out April 18 from Big Stir Records

Big Stir Records is delighted to bring you the return of Detroit indie pop duo CROSSWORD SMILES with a brand new single, “Falling All Over Myself”, to kick off the countdown to the band's new and soon-to-be-announced full-length album. Hot on the heels of their recent standalone single “Puppets” and highlighting the rocking side of the sophisticated guitar pop vibe established on their 2022 debut album Pressed & Ironed, the new track is out April 18 and is up for pre-order.

CROSSWORD SMILES hit the indie scene three years ago with an impressive pedigree, as a collaboration between two beloved mainstays of the Detroit power pop scene, TOM CURLESS (of solo renown with his backing band THE 46%) and CHIP SAAM (of THE HANGABOUTS). More than a side project, the band was conceived as an outlet for the two songwriters to explore musical textures and influences outside the scope of their other projects, referencing the cult favorite and critical darling likes of The Go-Betweens, Del Amitri, The Blue Nile and Joe Jackson among many others from their personal shared pantheon. As manifested on their acclaimed debut album PRESSED & IRONED (2022), CROSSWORD SMILES took on a sound of their very own, with songs in the Ray Davies character study mold framed by sonic textures bridging the gap between Crowded House and The Replacements. A fresh sound on a scene that's perhaps too bogged down with power pop nostalgia, the album not only found widespread admiration but also brought forth an approach that invited further exploration.

The band has already made a low-key return this year with the surprise single “Puppets”, a Depeche Mode cover reimagined as an organic performance featuring live trumpet taking on a key synth part. It was a signal of things to come, and while it will remain a standalone track, it is indeed a harbinger of a full-length album of originals on the way. “Falling All Over Myself” is the first true preview of that record (due on Vinyl, CD and Streaming in late May), and while the band's new work overall is just as nuanced and textured as ever, this one unequivocally rocks.

CURLESS recalls the evolution of the song and the inspiration for its aggressive but melodic approach:

“Chip had a basic acoustic idea that caught my ear. He had the chorus there of 'falling all over myself', which I really liked, both the melody and the lyric idea. We wanted to have a tougher garage guitar treatment, as we had just gone to see Guided by Voices in Kalamazoo, MI. That show was probably in my mind when I came up with that introductory riff, which sounds very Pollard inspired.” SAAM himself adds, “I absolutely love that intro riff. The lyrics were a mixture taken from my demo and Tom’s rewrite, and I think came together very well – giving a sense of slight self-deprecation mixed with tentative optimism.”