‘Crispy Crunchy Nothing’ puts to rest any notion Madeline Link had about finding the end. Burnout, dead-end jobs, bike theft, stress dreams, heartbreak — PACKS move forward through them all one line, one lick, one beat at a time, equal parts Alex G’s whimsy and Helvetia’s thunderous dynamics. Sticking together songs written in Toronto, Ottawa and Mexico City (while Madeline completed a papier-mâché residency), Crispy Crunchy Nothing revisits the fuzzy alt-rock of 2021 debut Take the Cake and adds some folksy twang to the mix for an album that explores the tension between independence and isolation, between living life to the fullest and feeling like you’re wasting your time. Influenced by country-tinged contemporaries like Renee Reed and Angel Olsen and Madeline’s lockdown-era listening sessions with her dad, of albums by Hank Locklin and Hank Williams. Crispy Crunchy Nothing is heavy, and Madeline makes little effort to hide the depths of her feelings. But after the rain, flowers peek up from the soil. “Laughing Till I Cry,” a reject from a commercial, recalls fond memories of spending time with her sister: “Sometimes, I feel like life is on my side.” And “Always Be a Kid,” jangling and swaying with the Nashville guitar in the foreground, keeps her chasing those smaller Matryoshka dolls, looking for companionship but settling for herself in the meantime. “So now, I feel alive,” she repeats, over and over again. And by the end, it sounds like she’s starting to believe it.
Release date:
March 31, 2023
Label:
Install our app to receive notifications when new upcoming releases are added.

Recommended equipment and accessories
-
Ortofon 2M Red Cartridge
Features an elliptical stylus that accurately tracks the grooves of vinyl records, delivering a rich, detailed sound with an output voltage of 5.5 mV
-
Ortofon 2M Blue Premounted
Mounted on the SH-4 Black Headshell, this setup delivers exceptional clarity, dynamic range, and accurate sound reproduction.
-
Audioengine A2 Plus
Precision-engineered 2.75-inch woofers and a 0.75-inch silk dome tweeter, featuring built-in DAC and Bluetooth connectivity for seamless integration.
-
Turntables - Top Picks
A selection of reliable record players you can buy today, for every budget
-
Nagaoka MP-110H Cartridge
Features a high-quality elliptical stylus that provides excellent tracking and minimizes distortion, delivering a detailed sound reproduction with an output voltage of 5.0 mV
Featured Upcoming Vinyl
-
Hard-Fi Stars Of CCTV: 20th Anniversary (Zoetrope)
Rhino / Wea UK
July 11, 2025 -
wave to earth play with earth! 0.03
Wavy Seoul Inc.
August 8, 2025 -
Jehnny Beth You Heartbreaker, You
Fiction Records
August 29, 2025 -
Daron Malakian and Scars On Broadway Addicted to the Violence
Scarred For Life
July 18, 2025 -
Mike Oldfield Tubular Bells 2003
Wea Int'l
July 11, 2025 -
Amorphis Borderland [2xLP]
Reigning Phoenix Music America, LLC
September 26, 2025 -
Michael Clifford Sidequest (Ultra Clear)
Hopeless Records
July 25, 2025 -
Soul Jazz Records presents 300% DYNAMITE! Ska, Soul, Rocksteady, Funk and Dub in Jamaica [2xLP]
Soul Jazz Records
July 4, 2025 -
Qur'an Shaheed Pulse
Leaving Records
July 11, 2025 -
James K Friend [2xLP]
AD 93
September 5, 2025 -
Darkthrone It Beckons Us All (Cream)
Peaceville Import
July 4, 2025 -
Guerilla Toss You're Weird Now (Yellow)
Sub Pop
September 12, 2025 -
Ted Olsen Violette
Shifting Paradigm
July 4, 2025 -
Mono Inc Darkness
No Cut
August 15, 2025