Stalactites and stalagmites aren’t a cozy image. But The Cave Singers live in what seems like suburban-sitcom ease: a Seattle house complete with a yard and a basement practice space. Having only played together for a year, these subterraneans have barely had time to create a bustle in their hometown’s saturated music scene. “Pretty much everybody who you’re going to encounter on the street, in a bar, or in a restaurant is in a band,” says guitarist Derek Fudesco.
But the steady heartbeat of debut album Invitation Songs—punctuated by the occasional harmonica murmur—is propelling The Cave Singers beyond the ?at line of anonymity. Pete Quirk’s bleating voice rises above the band’s acoustic sound, a droning shuffle that calls to mind sunrises, time-lapses and even country drives. “I do ?nd it’s perfect,” says Quirk, an alum of noisy post-punk band Hint Hint, “for how I feel right now with living my life—not as much screaming and falling off stages.”
While the album buzzes with folk in?uence, “Dancing on Our Graves” has a beat like a war march, and “New Monuments” courses with seedy, Sin City-esque undertones. “We don’t like calling ourselves a folk band, but people keep on saying that we’re a folk band even though none of us even listen to folk music that much,” Quirk says.
After touring with Canadian rockers Black Mountain, The Cave Singers, particularly Fudesco, are eager to go abroad—especially to Spain. “He’s a big fan of tapas,” Quirk quips, “so that’s why we’re going to record in Spain.” But only if armed with a washboard.
