The Cavs – one of many indie rockers who make up Manchester’s healthy plethora – offer a familiar flavour of the genre. Making noises that broadly pull from late 2000s Britpop revivalism, I suppose we’ll call this post-Britpop revivalism.
They offer little that is overwhelmingly new but having been active for only three years, their sound being somewhat derivative of a bygone-era is not wholly surprising. To the band’s credit, musical pedigree is evident throughout their new EP – Music To My Madness – a reasonably auspicious release from the five-piece.
Tight in the traditional sense, these four songs are performed with a confident swagger. The protracted introduction to the album’s opener is audacious, contrasting aggressively suffocating drums and relentingly high-pitched guitars – sounding like perpetual police sirens, they anchor this effervescent opener.
While vocalist Elliot Craven is less than ostentatious, his performances are infused with an audible passion. ‘Find a Way’ – the EP’s highlight – sees Craven at his most openly dramatic, accompanied by the most zealous of guitar playing, evoking images of an impassioned band dropping to their knees, crumbling under the emotional weight of their soloing.
But what makes ‘Find a Way’ so noticeable is The Cavs’ exuberant songwriting, which sadly wavers in consistency elsewhere with this EP. Slow burner ‘Salvador’ nears six minutes but does little to justify the length. Pleasing as it is that the band are willing to experiment with expansive songwriting, the song nears an unfortunate monotony, not least due to the over-rehearsed metronomic guitars.
At their best, The Cavs relax into their playing, welcoming a greater degree of musicality. The closing moments of ‘See You There’ exemplify this, particularly as Arthur Townson seemingly attempts to destroy his drums with an intensely chaotic series of fills throughout the track.
Music To My Madness has a lot going for it and given the ever-present popularity of indie music, particularly to Manchester, there is reason to believe The Cavs are possessive of the ability to blossom. Even with the inconsistencies across the EP, they’re a band worth keeping an eye on.