Listen: Caveman - "Never Going Back"

photo by Philip Di Fiore

Brooklyn foursome Caveman have from their inception made music diametrically opposed to their chose band name. Where caveman recalls a rough around the edges, abrasive sound, Caveman are anything but; smooth undulating melodies, languid plod, and generally chill vibes. And maybe that's why "Never Going Back", the first single from their upcoming third album Otero War, hits so hard.

After two albums of gentle, dream pop, the harshness of the drum hits and guitar solo feels like a real invigorating step for the band. The band don't completely demolish their past work - "Never Going Back" slowly builds on the softly introduced introductory melody and the synths that characterized much of Caveman aren't far from the fray. But there's no denying a freshness in the band's newfound fervor, the band rushing forward instead of its normal expansive creep. There's no telling just yet if the band continue this way for the rest of the record but "Never Going Back" is at the very least an exciting step in a direction no one really asked the band to take; fusing what worked well for them in the increment growth between CoCo Beware and Caveman and lighting a bit of a fire underneath themselves. It's enough to peak my interest in the new album and hopefully yours too and hopefully it's not too long before the foursome reveal more cuts from the third album.



Caveman's third album Otero War will out this summer.