Over the course of eight years, The Cave Singers have called some impressive labels their home. Their first two records were released on Matador, with the band then signing to Jagjaguwar for their next two LPs , including 2013’s Naomi. Loads of bands would sell their kidneys for that kind of name backing, but for their latest offering, the Seattle indie folksters have decided to stitch up the wound. After a successful IndieGoGo campaign, the band will self-release their fifth studio album, Banshee, on February 19th, 2016.
The trio is bringing the music back to themselves, retaining complete ownership not only of the rights, but of the sound. They wrote the record just like they did back in the day, starting with a riff from guitarist Derek Fudesko being sent to Pete Quirk, who would come up with the lyrical ideas. After a bit of back and forth, songs like lead single “That’s Why” were the result.
“That’s Why” opens with a strolling bass that quickly gets swallowed up in the fuzz of a crunchy guitar and the stomp of a simple drum kit. It’s when Quirk’s instantly recognizable voice slides in that you lose all doubt this is anything but a Cave Singers track. But he has some new tricks up his sleeve as he drops down into his lowest register ever on the bridge. Though the drive may seem rather steady, there’s a cadence throughout that subtly adds some funky textures to the rolling number. It’s the band being who and what they want to be, on their own terms. “If my hand is what you want/ Let’s go outside,” Quirk sings. “Do we know what we want?/ And that’s why we’re singing out.”