Over the past seven years, the up-and-coming indie rock band Crystal Tides has been slowly but steadily releasing singles. The four-piece consists of lead singer Billy Gregory, guitarist Harry Knowles, bassist George Regan, and drummer Joe Knights. Based in Portsmouth, England, the band has been gearing up to finally release their debut album. On the 10th of October, they released the third single of this record, called ‘Down’.
‘Down’ was inspired by a disagreement between the band and their manager. While they fortunately managed to work this out, the frustration felt during this moment led to the creation of this track. A heavy guitar fades in right as the song begins, with Gregory’s vocals coming in mere seconds later. While the first verse is still relatively calm, the hard-hitting chorus perfectly conveys the emotions felt by the singer. This structure continues into the second verse and chorus before the song delves into its bridge. Arguably, the best part of the song, where Gregory voices how he feels like he cannot be who he wants to be and cannot say what he wants to say. As a member of a beginning band, Gregory feels that “more and more people come and tell you how you should be doing things”, which is one of many things that can lead to this career feeling like an occasional burden. During the second part of the bridge, deeper, darker vocals keep repeating the words “Don’t look down” in between Gregory’s lines. This refers to the fact that one may feel like “the higher you climb, the greater the fear of falling becomes”. Life in the music industry is definitely not as glamorous as it may seem sometimes. After a short pause and an audible inhale, the song moves into its third and final chorus before fading out.
Crystal Tides’ latest single truly manages to show the listeners how life in a band can be tough, especially due to the high pressure to perform. Everyone wants to make it in the music industry, yet one has to really have the character to be able to endure it. The fact that Crystal Tides has managed to take this feeling and turn it into such a raw and energetic single is amazing to see. In February 2026, the band will release their full album Toothpaste and will hopefully be embarking on a tour in support of this as well. ‘Down’ is a track that one simply has to hear live, because one can only imagine how great it would feel to be able to shout along to these lyrics.
Written by: Mandy Huibregtsen
Edited by: Sabine de Graaf
