Rude (album)

Following the release of their 2023 self-titled debut album, which was co-produced internally by vocalist Michael Bingham and bassist Michael Fenton, Spiritual Cramp approached their second album recording with a more collaborative process.^[4] Bingham stated in interviews that the band generated a large volume of material during pre-production, assembling dozens of demos which were then shared among all the band members for further development and refinement.^[5] Rather than relying primarily on Bingham's direction, as in earlier releases, the band collectively workshopped songs, with individual members contributing new arrangements, guitar parts, and sampled elements.^[5][6] As a result, the album lyrics focused on personal insecurities and the facade of appearing cool, rather than just being onself.^[7]

The album marked a significant shift in production approach, as Rude was the band's first project to involve an external producer.^[8] It was produced by John Congleton, known for his work with artists such as St. Vincent and Sharon Van Etten.^[5][9] Bingham described the experience as an adjustment from the band's previous self-produced workflow,^[10] noting that working with an outside producer required him to relinquish some creative control and "trust" external guidance in the studio.^[11]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Clash	8/10[12]
God Is in the TV
Kerrang!
New Noise
Paste	7.6/10

Jack Wilkie, writing for Clash magazine called the album as a "blend of punk, pop-punk, even ska, with a healthy pinch of grunge and indie thrown in for good measure – and this album perfectly portrays all those genres." He further said the album is "Wall-to-wall entertainment, ‘RUDE’ is an excellent point of introduction to Spiritual Cramp – you can’t help but become addicted."^[12]