Album Notes

The Cavemen Go don't play throwback pop: What they play is timeless. New Lives, recorded by the members of the band (Jeremy, Bob, keyboardist/singer Emily Hamar and former bassist John Varrone) themselves in an empty apartment above a lawyer's office (a setting so un-rock 'n' roll it is, in fact, totally rock 'n' roll), sees The Cavemen Go further fusing the past and the present. Brill Building/British Invasion/Motown influences are there, as are nods to the poppier end of contemporary indie rock, and even shades of country and folk-rock. Simultaneously modern and classic, nuanced and efficient, New Lives showcases the band's punchiest, most urgent melodies yet. And with the arrival of new bassist/vocalist Brian LaRue, the 'Go' are poised for yet another exciting chapter. "We've got our new lives," Sage sings. "Let's get started." Of course, elsewhere, he also sings, "I'll stay committed if you stay combative." Yes, The Cavemen Go sound somehow familiar to the pop connoisseur. But you haven't really heard it before. This could only be The Cavemen Go.

"...“New Lives” is the first LP. And it’s worth the wait. It’s a timeless set of 12 songs that really will turn out to be one of the finest releases of the year, local or national. Sage just has a way with making tunes that are instantly hummable, but also intelligent and surprising. There’s no denying a strong Costello and early Ben Lee connection, but the band also breaks out some Motown and indie influences." - New Haven Register

"The Cavemen Go, which began as a gown/gown blend of Yale and SCSU students in the early 2000s, have always understood that blue-eyed sensitivity and chord-heavy R&B keyboards are as essential to gritty ‘60s-style American garage rock as hair-shaking gyrations, tambourines and “woo-woo”s. Add an alt-country twang at times and this soul-bending band matches early-‘70s Kinks for artful, articulate pop cross-pollination. The gripping thumps that begin “Hey, At Least I Tried” suck you in to an increasingly complex relationship song. “Frequency Modulation” has such tricky media metaphors plus enough hooks, talky bits and anthemic chants to evoke Elvis Costello, Beck and Chumbawumba simultaneously, with the folky restraint of Wilco. I’ve prized my live-radio bootleg of the cutting ballad “Come at Me With a Knife” (“I’ll stay committed/If you stay combative/I always love a good fight”), for years; it’s nice to finally hear a crisp studio production with layered vocal harmonies and Emily Hamar’s dynamic keyboards up front. The band’s latest line-up change—New Haven Advocate music critic Brian LaRue on bass and backing vocals —isn’t reflected on these 12 tracks, recorded at houses in Connecticut and Maine, then mixed and mastered in band leader Jeremy Sage’s new home state of Massachusetts. Such shifts haven’t stalled a band that still maintains its founding dynamic duo of Sage and drummer Bob "Rock" Breychak. These Cavemen continue to evolve, matter, and rock your mind." - New Haven Advocate