Reading

Bored Crusader: Us and Us Only Release EP

Previous Story
Article Image

What a Little Moonlight Can Do

Next Story
Article Image

Fire From Heaven: Dwayne Butcher Interviews Ali Seradge

I first heard Us and Us Only last spring when I did a story for BmoreArt on a charity compilation called Friends with Benefits that featured their track, “Dresses.” It was the sullen, poignant, conversational lyrics of lead Kinsey Matthews that immediately drew me in with the lines like “Every word is complementary of the morning after,” from “You Were a Writer” playing over and over in my head. When that happens — when you hear a lyric that can stand alone on the page — you know you’ve heard something moving.

“I can find myself. I can go to the store without your help,” Matthews sings on my favorite Bored Crusader track, “Mask.” “I can build a house and I can knock the whole thing down.”

Bored Crusader has beefy guitars that swirl around Matthew’s nearly-angry delivery. Right as the song peaks, we get the beautiful harmonies of Lindsey Mills, a Brooklyn-based songwriter that came in to add texture.

Bored Crusader is certainly the best thing Us and Us Only has released. It’s possible this is due to Matthews’s experience as a songwriter, or the addition of guitarist Dan Windsor, or Mike Suica’s unique and powerful violin sounds, but regardless, these three songs make a very powerful, complete album even if it comes in at under nine minutes.

Take some time to listen to this band and even consider paying some money to download the songs. It could be the best nine minutes of music you hear today.

You can listen and download the album on their Bandcamp or read Matthews’ analysis of the songs on Steep Sounds.

*Author Taylor DeBoer grew up in the Baltimore area and studied Writing and Sociology at Loyola University Maryland. He is a local writer, music lover, and edits a website that he co-founded, Manikmusic.net.  Follow him on Twitter at TayDeBoer23.

Related Stories
The Best Perks in Town: Access to Sold-Out Metal Shows, Exclusive Artist Talks, and Tax-Deductible Cocktail Parties

Baltimore's membership models for cultural organizations are an excellent way to keep the venues we love afloat and sustainable.

Why She Has Dedicated Her Life to Championing Theater Education

That's our mission: that at every age and stage of life, we're making meaningful human connections through music, movement, and theater making. No matter where you are in your life, you do not have to age out of creativity or community.

Micah Wood and Christopher Chester on Creatively Archiving Baltimore

A new photo book, Scene Seen, weaves together 85 bands, over 200 portraits, and 300 pages into a tribute to Baltimore’s creative resilience, documenting the essence of the music scene from 2016 to 2024. 

A Conversation with the Musician and Manager of the Station North Arts and Entertainment District

I met with Becker at the newly relocated Mobtown Ballroom to learn more about her work as an arts leader, and our conversation ranged from the complexity of demands that she balances, to her origins and identity as an artist and why art matters to us as humans.