Cave Suns: Exploring Free-Form Rock on New EP 'Surt Skum (Live)'

 

Many of the songs that are known and loved are comprised during a rehearsal or recording session, with little thought going into direction or shape of the track or album that it eventually finds itself on. The spontaneity of the likes of The Stooges 'Funhouse' and Hendrix's 'Electric Ladyland' allow for the extended jams and improvised guitar solos that a tightly structured body of work doesn't. Above all it allows for the listener to hear the band in their most natural state, feeding off of each others' playing and expression without the confinement of sticking to the foundations of a traditional verse-chorus-verse-chorus song pattern. 

With modernity comes newer recording techniques and therefore the demise of the 'live' album; modern technology now allows for almost endless amounts of overdubs and desired effects to add texture to a song's sound, thicken up a chorus, patch together takes and erase imperfections. Not only can the sound of a group as a live act be masked by production, but the ability to feed off of one another's instrumentation and capture a sense of improvisation is impossible to encapsulate through any alternate recording technique.

For the likes of Newcastle-upon-Tyne's Cave Suns, recording live is a quintessential part of their gritty, underground mystique. While maintaining a sound that is individual to the band as their own, Cave Suns borrow from the styles of the blues-heavy progressive bands of the late-sixties through to early-seventies (see Steppenwolf and Captain Beefheart, the latter of whom Cave Suns guitarist and vocalist Kit Endean cites as an influence), melding earthy, rythm and blues-derived back-beats and rhythm guitar lines with thrashy choruses that leave no space untouched. 

Their latest creation 'Surt Skum' captures the band in complete creative motion, kicking off the EP with the intensely driven title track, which opens up just before the two minute mark with some signature Cave Suns reverb-laden lead guitar work. 'Sleep Never Rusts' explores a more subtle, bluesy territory, reminiscent of Exile-era Rolling Stones within the first half of the track, before exploding into a frenzy of muddy distortion and wah-wah that demonstrates the band's ability to create a wall of sound on-tape while sticking with a traditional and basic recording set-up.

Closing track 'Sloop John Dee' leads the EP into a euphoric crescendo, simple and raw in its structure and feel. ‘Sloop John Dee’ highlights Ewan Mclaughlin's progressive drumming approach, smoothly carrying the song through its loud/quiet arrangement before letting loose within the final moments of the track's climax. This track most explores the primal textures of the band, it's dark, surfy lead guitar riff and earthy percussion shrouding the song in a sense of increasing paranoia that evolves into ecstasy. Cave Suns allow the songs of Surt Skum to take on a life of their own through ignoring the preconceived ideas of songwriting, and birthing a full body of work in the most organic way possible.

I tuned in with Cave Suns' Kit Endean (guitars, vocals) to discuss the recording process of 'Surt Skum', the value of improvised jamming, potential influence behind the EP and more.  

- (DEEP HIT): Released at the beginning of January, ‘Surt Skum’ is your latest EP, and second live EP in your current back-catalogue. When and where was this recorded?

- (KIT): 'We recorded Surt Skum EP during the Summer of 2020 at our own Room 10 studio. Its a small rehearsal/recording space in a cold building of businesses in Newcastle Upon Tyne. We decided to release our improvised jams as they were created by the shared hive-mind that comes from regular rehearsal and friendship, as we live through this strange time - we made strange music.'

- Both your 2017 ‘Null’ EP and 2019’s ‘MEMOREX’ album are recorded live as well. What is it about recording live that appeals to you?

- 'We have regularly rehearsed and have recorded structured songs, and enjoy the process of whittling songs down to perfection - however we also enjoy letting our music take us where it wants to go, with broad undefined brushstrokes. Recording improvisations live is a way to capture the feeling of being in the moment, without any pressure or goal beyond enjoying yourself and whatever sound is there, its something we're proud of. We can push a lot of buttons live.' 

- Can you offer some explanation to the name of the EP?

- 'Surt Skum is a Swedish candy/sweet meaning Sour Foam.'

  

Surt Skum (Live) EP

- Surt Skum continues to encapsulate your psychedelic, fuzzed out blues rock sound. Going back to the beginning, what first made you want to incorporate this style into your music?

- 'Luckily, with access to all sorts of music through the internet and via all the sharing sites - we're all lovers of all sorts of genres and categories of music, we like good music. We didn't aim our boat towards the shore of psychedelic fuzz - but the music we listen to and the sound we want to create is easiest to attain through the instruments we had to hand. Guitars Drums and Pedals. We're aiming to use vocal microphones on some studio recordings this year, some words for people to practice deciphering.'

- Any recent additions to your record collection who’s influence may have fed through onto the EP?

- 'We've been trying to listen to as much music as possible during this strange time - always useful to help get away from thinking about the global issues that the world is dealing with at the moment, hope you and yours are being safe and anti-septic. To name a few muzaks: Bombino, Kinono No1, Blom, Captain Beefheart, Richard Dawson, Pigs (x7), Snarky Puppy, Live Burial, Feral Ohms, Smote, Fumacsa Preta, Minami Deutsch, DUDS, Shy-Talk - have a click and search.' 

- And finally, any future gig dates or music releases to look out for?

- 'We have more jams that we will be releasing this year as further UK lockdowns limits live gigs and shows - and we're heading into the studio soon with some unit-shifting songs to make some crystalline Cave Suns product that everyone can enjoy, along with some tapes, merch plans and video too. We're supporting SLIFT for some shows in the UK, who are amazing every time they've been to Newcastle Upon Tyne playing a Wandering Oak gig, I'll be at their gig in Leeds in September with All Them Witches. We're excited about what we have coming up in the future, hoping people will hear some of our music before we get back to performing live. Cant wait!'

Check out Cave Suns latest EP 'Surt Skum', now available on Spotify and other major music platforms.