Brand new LP from Creepy Crawly

Creepy Crawly is the artistic banner of Bristol-born, Manchester-based songwriter Rachel Cawley, an artist whose work forms in the strange overlap between memory, identity and personal transformation. Driven by a desire to make sense of confusing, unsettling and often highly personal experiences, the project has become a vehicle for examining how people are shaped by the moments they live through and how that process never truly ends. Across her music, identity feels fluid rather than fixed, something constantly shifting and reforming as life progresses through different stage.

That fascination with self-discovery sits at the very centre of everything Cawley creates and through crystalline vocals and intricately layered arrangements, she crafts songs that feel at once intimate and atmospheric, balancing bittersweet storytelling with adventurous musical choices. Her compositions seldom settle into one place for long; fragile folk melodies can suddenly collide with abrasive synth textures, while overdriven guitars might dissolve into the gentle sway of lap-steel tones. It’s a sonic world that embraces contrast and contradiction, allowing beauty, disarray and nostalgia to coalesce into a sound that’s original and truly compelling.

Growing up in the rural West of England left a lasting imprint on her artistic outlook, with traditional British folk music and folk revival artists forming part of the soundtrack to her early years, embedding themselves within her own musical vision. Yet the attraction of city life proved impossible to ignore and at eighteen, she moved to London, placing herself in its creative landscape. Working in music venues, writing for music magazines, taking temporary jobs at record labels and spending countless nights at gigs, she absorbed the many worlds of music surrounding her.

Eventually, however, that chapter came to an end as London, as she describes it, spat her back out. During a period marked by self-reflection and difficult questions about where life was heading, songwriting became a way of retracing her steps. That process resulted in her debut album Like a Real Thing, released independently in May last year. Drawing influence from artists including Aldous Harding, Scott Walker, Big Thief, Laura Marling, Anne Briggs, Cat Power, Breeders and Heatmiser, the record established Creepy Crawly as a unique voice capable of transforming personal reflection into engaging, emotionally impactful songwriting.

Now, with her sophomore record titled I Feel It On My Skin, Rachel expands that vision further while continuing to explore themes of perception, memory and emotional uncertainty. Penned during a summer of newfound freedom after leaving her day job, the album draws inspiration from the sensation of unstructured time, reminding her of teenage summers where weeks seemed endless and possibilities felt limitless. Lead single and opening song “Buttercup” perfectly distils that feeling into a breezy folk pop jam that flows with delicate guitar layers, rustling percussion and alluring vocals spinning picture painting lyricism via uplifting melodies.

“Nothing Stays the Same” glides into a rock-tinged indie pop scene with the steady taps of drums and lightly gritty guitars underpinning her expressive vocal leads, offering a catchy outing that puts Rachel’s timeless songwriting and performance flair on full display. The album then ventures into darker areas, with “Dead Cat Song” reflecting on childhood boredom through the unsettling memory of discovering a cat skeleton. Twanging guitar and bright synths transform the recollection into something eerie and strangely captivating, showcasing Rachel’s ability to find significance in unexpected places.

“Letting Go” examines the loss of loved ones to conspiracy theories associated with the post-truth era through a complex alternative folk arrangement, offering a moving listening experience formed with shuffling percussion, soft guitars and hushed vocals which flutter above the dreamy, yet melancholic arrangement. “Burning Up” follows as a lap-steel-led waltz shaped by drunken shame, flickering between mellow verses and rock-inflected choruses. Songs like “Infinite Capacity” approach the hazards of falling in love too easily through the form of a lullaby, serving up a mesmeric dream pop experience that’s hypnotic and thematically profound.

“Get Lost to Get Found” offers another stunning slice of Creepy Crawly’s highly affecting songwriting and knack for leaving a lasting impression through intricate instrumentation and dazzling vocals. Closing the album with “The Photograph,” she uses minimalist banjo and synth textures to explore the gradual fading of a friendship, presenting a memorable folktronica-style finale to her sensational second album. With I Feel It On My Skin, Creepy Crawly once again confirms her status as a songwriter able to venture into complicated spheres, finding meaning in the places where nostalgia, truth and imagination all melt together.

Commenting on the release, Rachel shares, “I wanted to pull together a collection of songs full of poppy, earworm-y hooks that also rewarded repeated listens—songs with layers of instrumentation that reveal new meanings each time you return to them. I also wanted to capture that fuzzy, dream-like state: half-remembered memories, the liminal space between sleep and wakefulness, or that tipping point of having had just a little too much to drink.”

Listen to I Feel It On My Skin below