Jesus and Mary Chain’s Mark Crozer Crafts Shadowy Alt-rock Soundscapes on ‘Homecoming’ (ALBUM REVIEW)

As a longtime member of the Jesus and Mary Chain, Mark Crozer is no stranger to dreamy goth rock, and through several solo records and other projects, he’s explored everything from guitar pop to indie rock. But his latest solo effort, Homecoming – which delves into deeply personal issues of loss and grief – is crammed with loops, samples, and effects, making for his most compelling record yet.

“Entertainment Is Dead” opens the album on an ominous note, with a pulsing bass line and a gloomy, almost industrial synth line, before Crozer’s deep, almost whispered vocals come in. The following track, “The Days of Song Are Gone,” hits a softer note but is equally dark, propelled by an almost metallic effect on the vocals.

The album almost wasn’t, with Crozer asserting as recently as last summer that he was no longer releasing new music. But after reflecting on his childhood in Oxford, England, his songwriter instincts kicked in, and he wrote the autobiographical “Everything Must Change.” Considering the rest of the album came about because of this song, it surprisingly sounds unlike anything else in the collection. While it has some wistful, dreamy qualities, it is far less atmospheric and hews closer to his earlier guitar pop work. The next closest song is the title track, which is probably the weakest one here, suffering from lyrics that seem almost didactic and simplistic. It stands out simply because the rest of the album is so strong. “You and Me on the Astral Plane,” for example, is a mix of The Cure and Love and Rockets, with layers of sonic texture. Elsewhere, “The Blight” is moody and stripped down in comparison, but just as compelling.

The album ends on one of its strongest songs, “Feels So Cruel,” featuring droning synths and Crozer pleading for it not to be over. The track deftly ties back to the opening song, once again exploring the theme of loss.

With Homecoming, Crozer threads grief and memory through layers of shadowy soundscapes, crafting a record that lingers long after it fades out. It’s proof that even after decades in the margins of alternative rock, he’s still capable of making something quietly powerful.