Photo courtesy of Criminal Hygiene

Lots of people use social media to vent about their relationship frustrations, but for Los Angeles garage-rock trio Criminal Hygiene, it’s easier to just pour those emotions into a nicely compact song, as they do on “Alan, I’m in Love.” “It’s a song about thinking you’re in love with someone, and then realizing you’re not in love with anyone,” explains bassist James Pratley Watson. “You just have low self-esteem and need someone to cling to, even if they suck.” And the band’s latest album, CRMNL HYGNE, is full of self-loathing sentiments that Watson thoroughly enjoyed writing about. “I shit talk myself in a lot of my songs,” he says. “It’s a strange form of therapy. I’m always fighting against that self-critical voice in my day-to-day but with music I get to celebrate it. That’s the vibe I brought to the table with this album and with songs like ‘Alan, I’m In Love.’”

CRMNL HYGNE is out now on Small Smile Records. Stream “Alan, I’m in Love” below: