CAVEMAN – Caveman
01. Strange To Suffer
02. In the City
03. Shut You Down
04. Where’s The Time
05. Chances
06. Over My Head
07. Ankles
08. Pricey
09. I See You
10. Never Want To Know
11. The Big Push
12. Strange
CAVEMAN has shown great endurance not only in building upon their last album, CoCo Beware, but by creating 11 stand alone tracks, each showcasing their strengths and aptly written lyrics. The Brooklyn based group sets you up for a slow and patient current, coaxing feelings of nostalgia and suffered longing through their album. Matthew Iwanusa’s voice acts as bridge between the airy guitar rifts and the ever-beating drums, creating a whole atmosphere that you gladly sink into.
CAVEMAN’s self-entitled sophomore album greets us with Strange to Suffer, a primordial synth beat tune, which is slowly churned into a cosmic ambiance of vocals and acoustics. The lethargic state you’re left in is grabbed firmly by the hand and dragged into another story by In The City, a crashing balance of drums, gentle crooning and heady guitar. Caveman bobs up and down along the track list, often indulging us with its cool breeze rhythms. I Never Want to Know is a firm example of the group’s knowledge of space; never rushing to fill a gap with lyrics, simply letting the instruments play and build upon each other. Some tracks feel like they belong in an 80’s movie while others could grace a music video about the plains of Oregon, but they all sway and turn cohesively.
The last two tracks, The Big Push and Strange form a happy union of quiet conflict and happy resolution. Strange acts as a beautiful end to the album, using elements from their first track, Strange to Suffer and confirming that it is strange to suffer, especially amongst this light but deliberate album. While calming and crisp, this Caveman holds a high energy sound that vibrates through the listener creating a perfect backdrop to a day outside.
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