Past meets present on a this brand new double EP of articulate indie rock gems. Cave V.S. Lenderson is a collaborative effort to archive two related projects in physical form for the first time. This re-release is the work of Isaac Baird, Citrus City Records (Manny Lemus), and The Cabin Records (Nicky Wetherell, Alex Futtersak, and Abraham El Makawy). With words and without, the colorful creativity of this joint collection abounds.
Cave is the trio of Jesse Brotter, Cooper Loughlin, and Jonathan Gilad. Formed in Medford, Massachusetts in 2014, the band recorded one 6-song EP and performed two shows before disbanding in 2015. A vibrant clashing of slanted snippets of sounds, the six songs rumble with big basslines and a real sense of urgency. Each is defined uniquely by its own style of necessary roughness with a myriad of textures at play.
The three short and gruff opening tracks pave a path of uneasiness with firm bass lines, progressing chaotically. As the release continues, Brotter’s vocals charm equally as a careening growl and smooth lilt on the spiraling “Fridgeman,” the jarring “Lee,” and the hurdling, fuzzy “So Adult.” Overall, the disarray melds together to become an actively engaging listen.
Brotter and Gilad combined to form a second project in 2016: Lenderson. Recorded in three different settings, their 3-song EP retains the spirit of their work as Cave but adds a polished complexity and a contemplative darkness. More subdued than the former, the interplay of the instruments on this EP is both clever and intriguing. Its mellow and harsh tones mesh together between fitting silences to create unexpected indie rock with just a hint of a sour taste.
Cave V.S. Lenderson is out now on Citrus City Records and The Cabin Records in digital and lime green cassette form. Get your mitts on a copy here. If you are lucky, you might hear one or two of these tracks live during a set from Brotter and Gilad’s other band, (a Swell Tone favorite) Crumb.
Favorite Tracks: Fridgeman, So Adult, Cutglove, Lender
