Cruza may be based in Florida, but they make music that sounds like it could take place in another dimension. Through otherworldly soul, R&B, and psych, the unclassifiable quartet — made up of vocalist Adam Kain, guitarist Charity Joy Brown, bassist AJ Roth, and producer Sago — create a gooey melt that’s optimal for holing up with a loved one, kicking it with your best friend, or smoking indica at 2 a.m. That’s deeply felt on their brand-new album, Cruzafied, out today, which moves through those nocturnal realms with a more distinct approach. They clearly occupy similar spaces as Gorillaz or Yves Tumor, two artists whose unique styles influenced their new songs, but they also ride their own wave that’s hard to define. It’s ultimately whatever you need it to be. Below, Cruza unraveled the touchstones that shaped their bleary, forward-thinking new album, Cruzafied.
Read more: 24 of the most exciting rising artists to watch in 2024
Nick Hakim – “WHOO”
I discovered this song while on a trip to San Fran in the fall of 2022. Around this time, we were traveling a bit to different places that we had never been in search of new experiences and new inspiration, and I think there was just something about the vulnerability in the lyrics of this song that really just spoke to me and gave me the courage to be more vulnerable when writing “Cosmic Plea,” the last song on our album. —Adam Kain
Broken Social Scene – “Gonna Get Better”
As a band and as individuals, I’d say we went through a lot during the two years of working on our album — everything about this process was filled with new challenges and constant adjustments that really pushed us out of our comfort zones. This song has a line in it that says “Things will get better ’cause they can’t get much worse.” Those simple words really carried me through. —Adam Kain
Gorillaz – “Souk Eye”
Gorillaz is easily one of our biggest inspirations, so it’s only natural that their music serves as a constant source of inspiration for us. Damon Albarn is one of my personal favorite lyricists because he just has a way of making the most random concepts come together in such a poetic way — I really admire that. —Adam Kain
HOMESHAKE – “Give It To Me”
HOMESHAKE in general really influenced my guitar-playing style and use of pedals. I really dig the idea of creating a simple melody on the guitar and using that as the base to build a song, then using effects and pedals to really bring the melody to life. We followed that formula a lot on this project. —Charity Joy Brown
Unknown Mortal Orchestra – “From the Sun”
The mixing on this first project from UMO was unlike any I’d ever heard before. The ambiance and spacey, warm use of reverb/delay really inspired me to think of mixing in a creative way. I kept it in the front of my mind while we worked on our project. —Charity Joy Brown
Cocteau Twins and Harold Budd – “Sea, Swallow Me”
The shimmery, dulled guitars inspired my playing on several of the songs on the album. I love how verbed put everything is – I love that the song is more about the feeling it brings more so than what is being said. Then when you actually do listen to what is said, you realize how beautiful this song truly is. We try to catch that essence in our own way on our album, Cruzafied. —Charity Joy Brown
Yves Tumor – “Romanticist”
This song inspired me to use heavier drum textures in songs like “Such Is Love.” —AJ Roth
Jon Bap – “Let It Happen”
The loose format and emotion of this song influenced us to be more feeling-driven in our creative process. —AJ Roth
Khruangbin and Leon Bridges – “Chocolate Hills”
Was kind of obsessed with this song and the mix, specifically while we working on making this album. The vocal tone had me using slapback on vocals for months after hearing it. When were mixing “First Time,” this song was all I could think about. —Sago
Alabama Shakes – “Dunes”
Every sound, from the instrument to the vocals to the drums, is emotional on this song. They instantly make you feel something, but it’s hard to pinpoint what feeling that is exactly…at least immediately. I think our music is like that a lot of times, and it leaves room for the listener to see the song from their POV. —Sago
