By Ezra Lloyd
When Slow Caves announced their “debut” album Falling a few months ago, it had us a bit puzzled.
It’s a bit like Fun winning “Best New Artist” at the Grammys after being a band for years. It’s all about visibility, and it most likely always will be. Slow Caves has been locally known for quite sometime in their Hometown of Fort Collins, and because of this we have all written them off as safely “a good band” and then kinda moved on. There were always rumblings of Slow Caves doing shows in far flung places, signing to record labels, but when a band is from your own hometown you build a complex around them as “that band that played (insert shitty venue) way back when.”
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With their new album, however, it seems like they are really shaking off that hometown glitter and emerging into the spotlight as polished nationally recognizable and respectable musicians.
THE GOOD
This is a full length, polished studio album. And when we say polished, we mean Falling was properly recorded, properly mixed, properly mastered and sounds like something that will compete well on the national market. With clean minimalist design adorning the cover, and a vinyl option this album looks inviting. The actual songs are filled to the brim with catchy hooks, harmonized vocals, and even a few shout choruses. Slow Caves has a sound that has been gestating and maturing for years now, and now it seems that they are finally ready to make their national debut. This album shows a new side to Slow Caves I haven’t seen before. There are massive swings in dynamics that show a new depths to their songwriting previously thought not to be a part of the grand plan. There are too many “this sounds like” comparisons I could draw on this album, and really, that is a very good thing. Beyond comparing them to anyone, they are finally starting to sound like Slow Caves. This album stands as a milestone where I think the band has finally come into their own domain and sound, and they are owning it.
THE BAD
This next part is like kicking a kitten, since (full disclosure) Jacob, Oliver, and David are the sweetest dudes around. After seeing them at countless events they have been nothing but sweethearts. So, let’s dive in! This album, while propelling the band forward to a new era for them, seems to be suffering from latent 2009-ness, dredging up some tropes that probably should have been left in the last decade. As a result the album seems to be pulling to a time since past, and it tarnishes the product as a whole. By no means is this an unforgivable offense, and frankly it seems that as a band that grew up with the styling and sound of 00’s it seems only logical that some of that influence would bleed into their modern work.
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The Verdict
These three dudes are no doubt talented, after garnering strong regional presence, they are really preparing to go for it on a national stage and unquestionably in a very big way. After years of dedication to their craft, countless shows, and a very appealing debut record, they are well on their way. The lingering questions remain of the disease known as “latent 2009-ness” as their sophomore album comes into scope are begging to be resolved fully, but as Slow Caves has a track record of impressing just about everyone time and time again, I have a feeling that these questions will not remain unanswered for very long.
