Loved So Bad: New Alyssa Crosby and Grown Ups EP a Gift

This week has been pretty exciting around here. I spent last weekend over-indulging in The C&G Spot from Caviar & Grits, and then I had the absolute pleasure of reviewing Driftwood’s new LP December Last Call. And I really thought my week couldn’t get much better—until Grown Ups sent over their new collaboration with Alyssa Crosby, titled Loved So Bad, which comes out March 29th (pre-orders are available today on Apple Music).

Grown Ups are one of the front-and-center bands in Binghamton’s flourishing indie music world, so new music from them is always exciting. And this new EP features their partnership with long-time collaborator Alyssa Crosby, a current contestant on NBC’s The Voice. Her appearances on the popular show have rallied not just the Binghamton music scene, but the Greater Binghamton community and the 607 region as a whole.

I had the pleasure of listening to earlier drafts of both songs on the EP, and I was thoroughly impressed. And now I get to sit down with the finished version of Loved So Bad by Alyssa Crosby & Grown Ups. It’s a pretty excellent way to wrap up a killer week!

Loved So Bad

The title track on Loved So Bad knocks your socks off right out of the gate. Michael Micha is an astounding drummer, and coupling up his thunder with Grown Ups’ hurricane of horns from Tim O’Brien, Justin Miller, and Dave Pond is out of this world. Reeve Longcoy has consistently impressed me both with Grown Ups and Tom Jolu, and his bass riffs on this track are utterly flawless. Grown Ups are laying down some serious funk here that would feel right at home with Average White Band or Monophonics.

And then you hear Alyssa Crosby come in, and … well, how do I word this? This. Woman. Can. Effing. Sing. That’s something the Binghamton music scene already knew, of course, given her work with WildCard and her exceptional prior collaborations with Grown Ups. And it’s great that the rest of America now gets to enjoy a sliver of that talent on The Voice.

But her singing on Loved So Bad is on a whole other level planet. Alyssa Crosby is a brilliant singer and songwriter. She puts forth creativity, emotion, personality, energy, presence, warmth … passion. It’s rare for singers to have two or three of those traits. Crosby has the lot.

Loved So Bad is, quite frankly, the best thing I’ve personally ever heard Alyssa Crosby sing. And not to be outdone, Grown Ups throw down an absolute banger of gargantuan funk. Ladies and gents, I believe we have a new contestant for 607 scene song of the year.

Gone

The second track on Loved So Bad marks a major shift in dynamics, without losing an ounce of energy. Gone is a song written by Crosby to honor the memory of a friend who lost his life after struggling with addiction. It’s an incredibly moving track on all fronts—musically, lyrically, and vocally.

Gone opens with a sober coupling of guitar and vocals, before bursting forward with a flourish of bluesy rock that very, very vaguely reminds me of 505 by Arctic Monkeys—not tonally, but in a more emotional sense.

The band is firing on all cylinders here, keeping things clean, blue, and smooth as hell. Again, you really can’t get through a piece of Grown Ups’ music without mentioning the jaw-dropping contributions of both Micha and Longcoy, as well as the massive horn sound this band produces. and Chris James stuns here as well, with a guitar solo that just sweeps you away. It’s so dynamic, crunchy where it needs to be, emotionally-driven … James is feeling some stuff and expressing that through his guitar, and it shows in big, big ways.

You already know what I’m going to say about Crosby here, don’t you? Her voice is nothing short of triumphant from start to finish. But there’s more to her than just her voice, as incredible as her singing may be. Crosby’s lyrics are beautiful, poignant, and poetic, capturing what so many of us have tragically dealt with and felt in the wake of loss. You go into this track expecting those trademark vocal sustains and that big Grown Ups sound. But the songwriting on this track is special, and deserves a big teary-eyed applause all its own.

Loved So Bad is short, but oh so sweet

On their own, Grown Ups are an incredible indie band with an intoxicating, original sound. And on her own, Alyssa Crosby has a monster of a voice, both as a singer and in the more abstract sense of her lyricism. But when these two celestial forces come together, there’s an atom-splitting synergy that cannot be denied. It’s not simply a matter of them working well together. They seem to bring out the best in each other. And it really makes you want to hear so much more of this combination.

Loved So Bad is a very short EP. If there’s one thing to criticize at all here, it’s that I’d have loved to have seen at least one more song added. Then again, I’m not sure if I’ll ever be truly happy until we hear Alyssa Crosby and Grown Ups put out a full LP together. Their work separately is fantastic, but their work together is so special in so many ways. I hope they keep working together for a very long time to come.

Loved So Bad will be out everywhere March 29th (you can pre-order today on Apple Music). Alyssa Crosby is actively a contestant on The Voice, so be sure to tune in and show your support. And Grown Ups have their third LP, Together, for a Moment coming May 10th, which we plan on reviewing as soon as they send it our way. This year of exciting Binghamton music scene releases just keeps getting better and better.