It's not hard to find good experimental rock bands in Albuquerque, but the three musicians that make up CRTTRZ are bound to make an emphatic first impression.
Formed in 2012, the band consists of guitarist and lead vocalist Gabriel Fuentes, bassist Tony Rivali and drummer Joel Martin.
CRTTRZ, pronounced “Critters”, was created by Fuentes who leads the band lyrically and instrumentally.
“When I was a kid, I knew I wanted to be a musician,” Fuentes said. “My dad is a painter and sculptor, growing up there were a lot of artistic influences. I would watch YouTube videos and just learn everything I could about guitar and piano.”
Fuentes began contributing to the music scene at an early age by promoting venues and helping local artists seize gigs. Through helping book shows for free, he forged a DIY ethic that his band still adheres to.
The first incarnation of CRTTRZ was the band Roo, a 3-piece post rock collective. Fuentes recorded two albums and toured with Roo between 2007 and 2012, but the band split after five years.
Thereafter Fuentes was left with numerous shows to play, without a band. He created CRTTRZ with haste and performed three songs with Rivali and Martin at the old Amped Performance Center venue.
Since their 2012 inception, CRTTRZ have issued three releases: “Spirits & Herbs” in 2013, “Maps Between Spaces” in 2014 and “Cloud Burning” in 2015.
Despite its quick formation, Fuentes’ initial intention for CRTTRZ was as an outlet for negative and painful emotions.
“The incarnation of CRTTRZ is based on hurt feelings, that whole aspect of life,” he said. “Like, you know, critters. Creepy, crawly, critters. Small demons that mess you up, all the time.”
And though cathartic in creation, the music adopts a wide range of emotion. Songs like “Polyamorous” elicit more complex and compelling feelings, amplified by sharp screaming vocals, while “Rook in the Trash” is a slower, more elegant instrumental piece, evoking a comely side of the band.
Currently, CRTTRZ is working on an LP under the current title of “A Stern Warning for Events to Come…” aiming for a late May/early June release. The album is just one of ten upcoming releases in a current multi-year project for the band.
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“I’m trying to create these story lines right now,” Fuentes said. “One of which is about an animal, a cardinal. It’s a really long story arc, probably for the next ten albums I’m hoping, with each individual record having a different feel. This next album is just instrumental math rock, but after that will be punk, jazz, death metal, every genre.”
The cardinal imagery was used previously by the band on their most recent EP “Cloud Burning”.
In just four years CRTTRZ have made themselves known not only in Albuquerque but across the nation, having played shows in Chicago and Phoenix and elsewhere. Jake Snider, guitarist of local band Crushed?! said CRTTRZ has an energetic stage presence.
“Between them, it's all super explosive,” Snider said. “They're all just insanely technical. The lyrics oftentimes take a backseat, which is cool because Gaby puts so much effort into his play style and guitar work. It’s like a mixture of math rock, double-tapping and slow thoughtful moments where the audience can take it all in.”
Check out more of CRTTRZ's music here: https://crttrz.bandcamp.com/
Audrin Baghaie is a culture reporter for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at culture@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @DailyLobo.
