British brotherly love hits the U.S.

THE Cribs aren’t exactly the new kids in the post-punk alley. The British trio’s new album, “Men’s Needs, Women’s Needs, Whatever” is its third, and although its release in the U.S. this week comes via major label Warner, the Cribs’ spiky music is more spit than shine -- impudence with guitar riffs.

You couldn’t blame the brothers, who emerged from the U.K. indie scene, if they feel as if they are starting over. “We’ve been to the U.S. before, but never with a record with proper distribution,” says singer-guitarist Ryan Jarman. “We weren’t worried about signing to a major label -- we’re very indie-minded.”

The off-the-hook set by the Jarmans (twins Ryan and Gary, and kid brother Ross) at Coachella certainly reinforced that, as does the Cribs’ reputation for inflicting damage, especially on themselves.

Ryan dived across a banquet table at last year’s NME Awards in collecting the band’s trophy, and for a time he had a habit of bloodying himself during shows, the result of a slow-to-heal wound sustained “when I was slapped in the mouth by a microphone,” he says.

“We quite like to keep a certain chaos about our live shows,” he says. “I’ve seen a lot of bands where every move is planned.”

That would run contrary to the Cribs’ beer-soaked music, which is liable to remind old-timers of their collection of 7-inch singles. The album was produced by Franz Ferdinand frontman Alex Kapranos -- “which worked out really well because it turns out he has a very similar work ethic to ours,” Ryan says -- and features a spoken-word contribution by Sonic Youth’s Lee Ranaldo on the anthemic “Be Safe.”

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The Cribs, with Sean Na Na, the Troubadour, 9081 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood. 8 p.m. Tuesday. $15. (310) 276-6168; www.troubadour.com.