New Stuff Today from Seaside Caves and Lost Boy ?

Friends and Favorites

Pretty exciting day when two of your favorites release new material into the world. We've got a new single from Asbury Park neu wave, goth pop virtuosos Seaside Caves as well as a brand spanking new LP from songwriting genius and rock and roll chameleon Lost Boy ?

Seaside Caves, "Sorry"

Seaside Caves are making new track, "Sorry," available today in advance of tonight's show at The Saint in Asbury Park with Dead Swords, San Tropez, and The Wilds.

I can't remember this band ever having released a single thing I didn't love, and "Sorry" is no exception. Recorded by the band and Pete Steinkopf at Little Eden Studios, it's Seaside Caves in all their synth-drenched, romantic, melodramatic glory with a dash of VU influence thrown in for good measure.



Lost Boy ? as D. Jones, Paranoid Fiction

I'll hopefully have more to say about this one when I have more time, but I just wanted let you know that Lost Boy ?'s Paranoid Fiction is out today on Little Dickman Records, and -- spoiler alert -- it's a frigging masterpiece.

Lost Boy ? takes on the persona of "Hollywood square," the drug-addled D. Jones. Over the course of the record, we move through high-strung pop, garage rock, and post-punk as Jones loves, loses, and languishes in a Mexican jail. Lost Boy ?'s Davey Jones plays everything, changes his voice, and tries on new personalities throughout the album, revealing just how versatile the real-life Jones is as a songwriter and musician.

Paranoid Fiction is out now on Little Dickman Records. Lost Boy ? play a release show tomorrow night, November 3rd, at Brooklyn's Baranquilla with Pink Mexico, Def.GRLS, and THICK.

New Single from Seaside Caves. Playing Asbury Park Brewery on Saturday, 3/10.

"Rage"

Seaside Caves, whose Hope was one of our favorite albums of 2017, are back with a new single today. The band recorded "Rage" at the home of drummer James Sefchek. Sefchek says of the track, "We feel it captures our latest live sound."

And he's right about that. "Rage" has all the epic sweep of a Seaside Caves live performance. It's a beautiful bit of neu-wave pop; and it's full of that sense of longing that's present in a lot of Seaside Caves. Here, it's a desire to feel some shared emotion other than anger.

"Rage" is available now over at Seaside Caves' Bandcamp page or from anywhere else that you like to get your digital music fix.

Seaside Caves have a show tomorrow night, 3/10, at Asbury Park Brewery with Tiers and Microfossils.

Seaside Caves, Hope, 2016

Album Review

I feel like I've gotten off to kind of a slow start here in 2017. CoolMom left for a business trip to China a few days ago. That, coupled with the snowstorm we just had, has kept me grounded a bit in terms of shows. And I think the first week or two of any year are pretty slow for album releases.

So imagine how happy I was when Seaside Caves released their long-teased Hope on Monday. I've been listening to it for the past two or three days as I've been reconfiguring my office here at CoolDadMusicHQ, and -- as I have been at the last several Seaside Caves performances I've been able to catch -- I'm blown away.

Opener "Terminal" floats in quietly on Matthew Gere's synths and continues to layer and build until it goes out in a wall of the band's self-described "beautiful noise." James Sefchek's drum hits ring in the new wave pop of "Kim Fowley Is Dead." The song is a lush soundscape of synths; and Todd Wacha's vocals, as they do throughout the record, sound pained and plaintive, lending an appropriate sense of romance and melodrama to everything. "Trauma" is darker and heavier, relying on some big guitar sounds from Ryan Donoghue.

The instrumental interlude of "2 // 6f33 // 9m00000" gives way to early single "Summer." This is one of my favorite songs from last year. It paints a lonely, dreamy picture of watching the summer days pass by just outside the window. Dentist's Emily Bornemann lends the faintest hint of backing vocals.

"Hearts" has been a live standout to me ever since Seaside Caves have been including it in their set. Wacha's bass almost chimes -- if a bass can chime -- as it drives the song. "Cry" is another song where everything -- synths, guitar, vocals, rhythm section -- just comes together to create a dreamy radio broadcast from forgotten parts of your brain. Like "Trauma," the guitar is a big part of album-closer "Wreckage." It's classic dark wave pop that highlights the fact that Hope is the first full-band studio recording from Seaside Caves.

Seaside Caves recorded Hope with Pete Steinkopf at his Little Eden recording studio. Steinkopf and the band have succeeded in creating a sadly beautiful collection of dreams and memories. Hope may work for me because it's speaking to me in a language with which I grew up. But, even if the style of Hope is reminiscent of another era, its beauty is timeless.

Hope is out now and available at iTunes, Apple Music, and Spotify.

The CoolDad Music Video Countdown w/ YJY, Seaside Caves, and Vacation

...It's Not Really a Countdown. Just 3 Videos.

While I was away, some of our friends were pretty busy releasing videos. You've seen them already, I'll bet; but, just to make sure, I post them here for your enjoyment.

YJY, "Past My Prime"

YJY's The Same Noise introduces us to characters who define themselves through labels like "hipster" or "jock." Single "Past My Prime" is told from the point of view of someone in the latter category who doesn't know what to make of himself now that his jock days are behind him.

It features Steve Sachs as a 38-year-old (Ew, so old. So uncool.) former jock trying to regain some lost youth ('Cause he's so damn old now) in preparation for his 20th (20 years!??! OLD!) high school reunion.

Directed by Dean Luis Chuqui and YJY, the clip looks great. Steve's make-up job by Melanie Licata & Taylor Ortega is a highlight, making him look convincingly past his prime ('Cause he's supposed to be so old).



Seaside Caves, "Cry"

Seaside Caves have a new record, Hope, on the way. A couple of days ago, the band released the video for single "Cry." The Brian Cutts-directed clip is a simple one. The band walking the boards in Seaside or standing in silhouette underneath the boardwalk.

That simplicity, though, gives things a vintage-y, dreamlike quality that pairs well with the song's chimey, post-punk, neu-wave feel. It reminds me of times that I walked those boards, or the ones in Long Branch, or Belmar, or Point Pleasant. When sounds like what Seaside Caves are putting out were kind of the soundtrack to my days.



Vacation, "Every Direction"

Cincinnati's Vacation put out the excellent Non-Person last summer. Yesterday, they released the video for single "Every Direction," and they had their friends in Shellshag direct it.

The video features the members of Vacation super-imposed on one another, spinning and flailing their limbs and looking like an artistic depiction of some multi-armed deity. The merging of multiple individuals into one gets at the "non-person" idea of their album-title, and the imagery is a nice play on Non-Person's cover art.

The song's post-punk guitars chug relentlessly which makes for an interesting contrast with the relative calmness of the band's twists and turns.

New Single from Seaside Caves

Artwork: Matthew Gere

"Summer"

Most of the memories of my youth are of the summer. The ones that get further and further away as time passes start to become hazier and more dreamlike, kind of like the steamy days that spawned them. Lots of my summer memories are joyful ones: watching the fireworks in Red Bank with my family, piling my friends into my little Tercel after summer evenings on the beach. That car was always full of sand. I have other summer memories, though: leaving a party alone, unhappy and riding my bike along Rumson Road in the dark, sitting and staring at the waves by myself on the beach at night.

On "Summer," the first single from their upcoming Hope, Seaside Caves come to us with one of those solitary summer memories. "She is going to a party. I am left here with the lie," sings Todd Wacha. He's alone in his apartment as the carefree days of summer creep along outside. The keys and the guitar merge into a New Wave / shoegaze dream, and Dentist's Emily Bornemann contributes a hint of gauzy backing vocals to complete the picture.

Seaside Caves worked with Pete Steinkopf at Little Eden Studios on this and the rest of the tracks on Hope, which the band will release at the end of summer. Stream "Summer" below or at Seaside Caves' Bandcamp page. As part of this single release, you can also hear a live version of "Summer" recorded at Asbury Lanes along with the original home demo of the track.

An Alternate Version of Seaside Caves' "L.E.S." (ft. Ken Wacha)

Father / Son Project

Just a quick share of something beautiful for a Friday morning. Seaside Caves' frontman / bassist, Todd Wacha, sent me this alternate version of "L.E.S.," the opening track to Seaside Caves' self-titled EP, the other day. What makes this one special is that it was recorded it with Todd's father Ken Wacha.

This is a quieter, more contemplative version of one of my favorite tracks by the band. It slows things down; and, where the original sounds like sort of a coming to terms with the past, this one is more regretful and melancholy.

Check out "L.E.S. (featuring Ken Wacha)" below, and you can grab Seaside Caves over at the band's Bandcamp. Vinyl is available via Chunksaah Records.

Pics of Rachel Bloodgood, Seaside Caves, The Godlings, and The Extras Inc. at The Saint, 1/6/16

The Saint's Free Music Series

The Saint has been experimenting with some new things lately; and, if Wednesday night was any indication, their free music series looks like it's doing ok. The venue was packed out for almost all of Wednesday night's show featuring Rachel Bloodgood, Seaside Caves, The Godlings, and Extras Inc.

It was an eclectic bill that included the gritty, bluesy, indie folk of Rachel Bloodgood, the brooding new wave of Seaside Caves, the proggy posi-rock of The Godlings, and the hard rocking, Bob Mouldian sounds of The Extras Inc. Much of the crowd was there from beginning to end, taking in the sounds and getting root beers (or something) from the bar. If you haven't been to The Saint in a while, keep your eyes peeled for one of their free shows and give it another try.

You can see pics from each of Wednesday night's sets by checking out the galleries below.

Rachel Bloodgood

Seaside Caves

The Godlings

The Extras Inc.

New Local Sounds from Seaside Caves, The Jolly Daggers, and Black Flamingos

The Jolly Daggers are just one of several recent Asbury Park releases.

Hey, Neighbor

It's been a strong couple of weeks for Asbury Park-based releases. In one of my famous Friday afternoon roundups, I wanted to call your attention to three things that have hit us recently.

Seaside Caves, "The Rage"

Seaside Caves put out one of my favorite EPs of 2014 when they released their self-titled debut at the end of last year. Since then, they've snagged opening slots for both Home for the Holidays and Home for the Summer with The Bouncing Souls; and Chunksaah Records gave Seaside Caves a physical release on vinyl.

Yesterday, the band released single "The Rage." It's another retro-inspired trip that unfurls in smears of gothic black and white over the course of its five minutes. "I wanna feel alive," sings bassist Todd Wacha as his buried vocals trail off under a wall of synths. Like all of Seaside Caves' previous work, "The Rage" makes me want to head for those shoeboxes in the closet so that I can sift through the creased and faded pictures from my high school days.

Check out "The Rage" below and come check Seaside Caves out live on Friday, November 13th, at Asbury Park Yacht Club. It's a free, CDM-presented show that also features our friends Overlake and Dead Stars.



The Jolly Daggers, Singles

The Jolly Daggers are Captain Fun Ron Santee of The Battery Electric, Robert Butkowski of Black Flamingos / Plato Zorba, Sweet Joey of Ba Babes, and Boris Thertus of super-human feats of athleticism. They've played a couple of local shows so far and promise more for the future. While we wait for that, though, the pirate crew have put out a series of singles recorded at Word of Mouth Studios in Long Branch and mastered by Derril Sellers. Studio bassist Brent Bergholm plays on each of the tracks.

There are the appropriately pirate-themed tracks of "Yo Ho" -- its opening smooch is pure Captain Fun -- and "Sailing the Black Seas." There are the more straight garage-y tracks like the soulful "See It All Through" and the rowdy "Who Killed the Postman." Each track offered up by the band has a lo-fi, retro feel anchored (ha! "anchored") by Robbie Butkowski's twangy and surf-tinged guitar.

This is music for swaying and rocking. This is music for hoisting up a tankard of rum with one arm while draping the other arm across the shoulders of your mate.

Check out everything that The Jolly Daggers have uploaded to Bandcamp (weirdly, all as individual singles) and stay on watch for their next local raid.



Black Flamingos, Black Flamingos EP

Last Friday, Black Flamingos released their self-titled, debut EP on Little Dickman Records. The instrumental surf trio of Robert Butkowski, Vincent Minervino, and Declan O'Connell bring a dark originality to a well-worn genre.

I really love this band. Every track features the familiar twang and reverb of surf rock; but they come from a different place. It's like some weird place where everyone drives vintage cars through the nighttime fog, but it's totally the future. Does that make sense?

Each of the five tracks is a winner. If I had to give special mention to any of them, I'd probably say "Okinawa" (which premiered right here) and "Shark Repellant;" but just listen to the record front to back and you won't be disappointed.

Black Flamingos are celebrating the release of the EP with a free show at Asbury Park Yacht Club next Friday, October 30th. Also on that bill are The Coffin Daggers and The Primitive Finks. Wear a costume.

The Bouncing Souls Played Starland with Andrew Jackson Jihad, Screaming Females, and Seaside Caves, 7/17/15

How I Spent My Summer Vacation

Whether you're a dyed in the wool true believer or just a casual Bouncing Souls' fan, one thing you can't deny is that this band brings people together inside a giant cloud of positivity every time they play in New Jersey. On Friday night, The Bouncing Souls played Starland Ballroom in Sayreville with labelmates Seaside Caves, new guard New Brunswick punks Screaming Females, and Arizona anti-folkers Andrew Jackson Jihad. There were lots of familiar faces in attendance, and -- with the exception of a very few run-ins with security -- the crowd was the usual rowdy but exuberant bunch that packs out the Stone Pony every December.

Seaside Caves continued their two-night celebration for the release of their self-titled EP by opening up the evening. Fresh off a great night at Asbury Lanes, the band picked right up where they left off and won over many of the early arrivals with their dark and gothic pop.

The sweetest and hardest rocking live band in New Jersey, Screaming Females, were up next. I was speaking to some friends before the show, and we talked about how much we love it when people who may not necessarily know what to expect see the New Brunswick trio for the first time. Friday was no different. Between the time the screen that obscured the stage between sets went up and the end of Screaming Females' short set, I saw looks of amazement wash over more than a few faces (like Screamales first-timer Scotch LaRock).

Andrew Jackson Jihad had a large contingent of fans in the audience. The band have been at it for over 10 years now and have built up a devout following. Fans stormed the barricade throughout the band's set of folk punk. Lead singer Sean Bonnette spent the latter portion of the band's set cartwheeling and somersaulting on stage as crowd surfers launched a major offensive on the security guards along the rail.

That onslaught just increased as The Bouncing Souls began playing How I Spent My Summer Vacation in its entirety. That record contains some of the band's sing along favorites like "Private Radio," "True Believer," "Manthem," and "Gone;" and the crowd sang along with abandon. Frontman Greg Attonito made his way down to the barricade for "True Believer" and got swamped by the fans in the front. Bodies flew, connecting with me multiple times in the photo pit.

The band took a short break after album-closer "Gone" and came back out for a second half that included favorites like "Lean on Sheena," "Sing Along Forever," "East Coast, Fuck You," "K8 Is Great," and "Hopeless Romantic." They even previewed two new songs that Bouncing Souls expert and historian, Scotch LaRock, pronounced as sounding like throwbacks to the band's early catalog.

It was another night of community, friendship, and positivity as The Bouncing Souls put together a high-quality and diverse bill; and lots of our Asbury friends made the trip to Sayreville. I'm already looking forward to the end of the year, but we've got a summer vacation to finish up first.

Here are some highlights from all of the sets. The rest of the pics are up at Flickr.

Seaside Caves Released Their S/T EP at Asbury Lanes with Roger Harvey and Chunksaah Records. Play Starland Tonight.

"Party"

Chunksaah Records threw a party at Asbury Lanes last night to celebrate the physical release of Seaside Caves' self-titled 2014 EP. The label also released Everyone Knows I Play Favorites Vol. 2: All Of My Friends Are Total Dreamboats, a 10" comp featuring some of the performances from the openers and after-party performers during 2014's Home for the Holidays. Seaside Caves make an appearance on that along with Roger Harvey, Smalltalk, Cayetana, and more.

Harvey started things off last night with a fantastic set. I really enjoy his 1990s-inspired sound, and he does a great cover of Neutral Milk Hotel's "Gardenhead / Leave Me Alone." Harvey's set was almost too short for me, but I'm sure I'll get a chance to catch him again.

Seaside Caves delivered their dark and brooding songs between two giant mannequins. The smoke machine was set on low this time, but the projections behind drummer James Sefchek were mesmerizing. The songs from the EP like "LES" and "Party" sounded wonderful, and new song "Summer" sounds like a winner.

Throughout the night, pop-up vegan bakery This Charming Bakery, the project of Sofia Baltopoulos and Chunksaah's Kate Hiltz, did a full-on vegan takeover of Snack World. Our friend Allyson Dwyer was there. A devout vegan, she pronounced the evening's menu "life changing." There was even vegan birthday cake for Seaside Caves' keyboardist, Matthew Gere.

Check out pictures from sets by Roger Harvey and Seaside Caves below.  Of course, you can always hit up Flickr for more.

Seaside Caves play Starland this evening with The Bouncing Souls, Andrew Jackson Jihad, and Screaming Females.

Double Chunksaah Record Release Party ft. Seaside Caves and Roger Harvey, Thursday, July 16th, Asbury Lanes

10 Inches

This Thursday night, Chunksaah records are holding a new wave / goth dance party at Asbury Lanes to celebrate two new 10-inch releases from the label.

Asbury Park's darkwave pop quartet, Seaside Caves, will perform to commemorate the physical release of their self-titled EP. That release will come in a choice of baby pink vinyl, baby pink / black vinyl, or splatter vinyl. Seaside Caves' set will also serve as a nice appetizer to their big Friday night show at Starland with labelmates The Bouncing Souls as well as Screaming Females and Andrew Jackson Jihad.

Thursday will also be a party for the release of Everyone Knows I Play Favorites Volume 2: All Of My Friends Are Total Dreamboats. That record is a live compilation featuring some of the openers and after-party acts from this past year's Bouncing Souls' Home for the Holidays residency. It comes in purple, blue and black splatter, or purple and blue vinyl. Seaside Caves make an appearance on that one along with Smalltalk, Cayetana, Spraynard, The Van Pelt, Dark Blue, and Roger Harvey. Roger Harvey will perform his own live set at Asbury Lanes on Thursday.

Seaside Caves is a beautifully dark and brooding EP, and the band's live show is a sight to behold. I caught Roger Harvey's after-party set in December, and that's not one you want to miss either. Wear your black on the outside, and I'll see you Thursday.

Doors for the all ages show are at 8pm, and $10 gets you inside. Oh. And Snack World is going totally vegan for the event.

Bouncing Souls Playing Starland w/ Andrew Jackson Jihad, Screaming Females, and Seaside Caves on July 17th

Jersey Punks United! Arizona, Too!

I saw this yesterday and got pretty damn excited. As Gentleman Jim said to me upon hearing the news, it's "Old School New Brunswick meets the next generation." New Jersey punk heroes, The Bouncing Souls, will be joined by current New Brunswick standard-bearers, Screaming Females, for a July 17th blowout at Starland that also features Andrew Jackson Jihad and Asbury Park dark wavers Seaside Caves.

It's also a union for two of our favorite NJ punk labels in the Bouncing Souls' own Chunksaah imprint -- new home to Seaside Caves -- and Screaming Females' home-base, Don Giovanni Records.

The politically aware folk-punk of Phoenix's Andrew Jackson Jihad just makes this a bill that's solid from top to bottom.

Tickets are on sale now; and I'm not sure how long they'll last.

Dentist, Smalltalk, Seaside Caves, Trans Charger Metropolis Played Asbury Lanes for Vinyl Heart Release, 2/13/15

Dentist, Smalltalk, Seaside Caves, and Trans Charger Metropolis celebrated the Vinyl Heart release at Asbury Lanes.

Heart-Warming

Last night was the big night. When I started CoolDad Music back in 2012, I never imagined that any band -- much less a group of bands that I love -- would come to me and ask me to participate in their record release. That is a thing that, in fact, happened, though; and last night saw the release of the absolutely stunning heart-shaped Vinyl Heart compilation featuring Smalltalk, Dentist, Seaside Caves, and Trans Charger Metropolis. There's a little CoolDad Music logo right there on the center label, and I am extremely proud to have been associated with this project even in a small way.

Fans and supporters packed Asbury Lanes to catch sets from all four bands. While each of the bands on the compilation have their own sound, they're all connected by the way in which they reference some of the seminal sounds of indie rock. Trans Charger Metropolis produce short bursts of loud, catchy indie pop that owe a great deal to Bob Pollard and Guided By Voices. Seaside Caves hypnotize with the dark wave, synth-drenched sounds of my youth; while Smalltalk pull from the guitar-based proto shoegaze of the same era. Dentist mix surf with the "loud-quiet-loud" approach of the late 80s and early 90s to produce some of my favorite sounds on the local scene.

Last night's bill was one for which I'd rearrange my schedule any day of the week, and the bands did not disappoint. I took photos of each set in between chatting and sharing a few beverages with CoolMom and lots of friends.

Everywhere I turned, people were smiling as they clutched beautiful red hearts. Congratulations to all of the bands on making the event such a success.

Here are some photo highlights. The rest are up at Flickr.

Vinyl Heart Contest: Win Tickets and Records for You and Your Sweetheart

Just Leave a Comment

The Vinyl Heart compilation EP featuring Smalltalk, Dentist, Seaside Caves, and Trans Charger Metropolis will be released with a big show on Friday, February 13th, at Asbury Lanes. CoolDad Music is a proud sponsor of the event because we love all of those bands around here. Asbury Lanes is also kind of the happiest place on earth to us.

You still haven't bought your tickets or ordered your copy of the record, you say? Well, here's your chance to make up for that.

The rules are simple:

Just leave a comment on this post between now and 12 noon on Monday, February 9th. I'll pick a single winner at random from the commenters, and you and your sweetheart, mom, friend, uncle, frenemy, whoever will each win a ticket to the show and a copy of the record.

Now, claiming your prize requires that you can actually attend the show. I'm not going to be shipping out tickets or records. This should not really be that big of a deal as I know you really want to go to this one.

If you don't like your chances, you can still pre-order copies of the record from Arcade Radio and / or pick up presale tickets.

Also, don't forget to go take a listen to the interview I did with Smalltalk frontman and Vinyl Heart organizer, Zak Kaplan.

Get to commenting and good luck.

Interview: Zak Kaplan Talks Smalltalk and Vinyl Heart

Modern Rock at the Jersey Shore

We're a little less than two weeks away from the release of the Vinyl Heart compilation EP. The brainchild of Smalltalk frontman Zak Kaplan, Vinyl Heart brings together four Asbury Park bands -- Smalltalk, Dentist, Seaside Caves, and Trans Charger Metropolis -- on a four-song compilation to be released on heart-shaped vinyl the night before Valentine's Day at Asbury Lanes. For Dentist, Seaside Caves, and Trans Charger Metropolis, I believe this will be the first time that any of their music will be available on vinyl, which is exciting. Smalltalk, Zak's collaboration with Jamie Goldfarb, Tara Jones, John Chladniček, and Pete Steinkopf, are no strangers to interesting vinyl releases; but this will definitely be their first time on a heart-shaped record.

Everything culminates with a show featuring all four bands at Asbury Lanes on Friday, February 13th. CoolDad Music, along with Holdfast Asbury Park, Russo Music, Chunksaah Records, Pirates Press, and Asbury Lanes, is a sponsor of the event. I jumped at the opportunity to help bring this project, which features several of my well-documented favorites, to life.

If you'd like to pre-order copies of the record, you can do that over at Arcade Radio.

Copies will also be available at Asbury Lanes on February 13th. You can grab pre-sale tickets for the show here.

I sat down with Zak Kaplan to talk a bit about Smalltalk and the Vinyl Heart project. You can stream our conversation below. I've also made it downloadable in case you'd rather listen to it in your car or while you run on the treadmill.

And keep it tuned here for a few more fun things as the release show gets a bit closer.

"Vinyl Heart" Comp and Show on February 13th at Asbury Lanes

Indiegogo Still GoGoing

I'm really happy to announce that CoolDad Music is a proud sponsor of "Vinyl Heart," a heart-shaped vinyl compilation and a show featuring Smalltalk, Dentist, Seaside Caves, and Trans Charger Metropolis. This is an extremely cool project that will be putting some of our favorite local bands together on vinyl and giving them a Valentine's Day Eve showcase at one of my favorite venues in the world.

Did I mention that the record comes in the shape of a heart?

The show celebrating the release will feature sets from all of the bands involved, and it takes place on February 13th at Asbury Lanes.

There's an Indiegogo campaign for the project that's just about to enter it's final week. You can head over to the campaign page to pre-order the record and to buy advance tickets to the show.

I jumped at the opportunity to be associated with this project, and I'm sure that the show on February 13th will be an evening we'll remember for a while.

So make those plans with your sweetie (or your buddy, or your mom, whoever), and keep it tuned here for more information as we get closer to the show.

Watch The New Video From Seaside Caves

"Silent Signal"

About two weeks ago, I wrote a review of the self-titled EP from Asbury Park trio Seaside Caves. Last night, the band released the video for EP track "Silent Signal."

It's a beautifully shot clip directed by Adam Worth that fits the stark loneliness of the song perfectly.

Check out the video below and go grab / stream the EP from Seaside Caves' Bandcamp page.

You can see Seaside Caves December 28th at The Stone Pony when they open for The Bouncing Souls on Night Three of this years' Home for the Holidays residency.

Seaside Caves, Seaside Caves, 2014

EP Review

I think I may be entering early into my winter funk. Let me back up a second. I hate winter. Hate it. I've lived my whole life in the Northeast and never gotten used to winter. There just really aren't that many things I like to do in the cold weather, so I find the whole time from late December to late March or so to be kind of a drag. Anyway, the funk.

I alluded to it a little bit in my post yesterday about Happy Mondays. That show was a bit of counter-programming; and, while I was at the show and for about a day after I got home, it worked. I was feeling good. Another drop in the temperature, though; and I started dropping again right along with it. This time I decided to go with something that I thought would play more directly to how I was feeling.

Seaside Caves are an Asbury Park trio whose sound owes quite a bit to the darkwave sounds of the late 70s and early 80s. This could work, I thought. On the band's self-titled EP, they play mostly as a four-, five-, or six-piece with the addition of some guests on all but one of the tracks.

"LES" gets things started. Todd Wacha's dark and brooding vocals detail a walk around Manhattan's underbelly. "I was broke, addicted and weak. I looked for money on the ground."

"Tonight" rolls in on James Sefchek's drums and the drone of Matthew Gere's keyboard, Wacha singing "I just hope I make it" as the song fades out." "Silent Signal" is built around a repetitive... ...well... signal, I guess, that hypnotically works its way into your brain; while epic set-closer "Vision" builds to a crescendo before trailing off to static or feedback as it ends.

This release also includes guest appearances from Ralph Nicastro (Wreaths) and Shaun Towey on guitar and Dennis Vosper on synthesizer. The whole thing was produced by the band and Paul Ritchie.

Seaside Caves is dark both thematically and musically. Funny thing is, though, it's kind of lifted me out of my funk. It's dark in a way that's captivating and mesmerizing. That's the thing about music for me. Whether it's all amped up and frenetic or dark and dreamy, when it's as good as this, it can make me stop and see that the world is, in fact, beautiful. Even if it is fucking freezing.

Seaside Caves is available now over at the band's Bandcamp and on iTunes and Spotify.

PHOTOS of Dollys, Seaside Caves, Paper Streets from Dentist's Record Release at The Saint, 5/9/14

New Brunswick's Dollys came out to support Dentist on Friday night at The Saint.

More Pics from Friday

Dentist had several friends on the bill to help them celebrate their record release on Friday night at The Saint. New Brunswick's Dollys were back and, like their late night set a couple of months ago, impressed a crowd outside their home turf. If it's possible to do shoegaze without a guitar, then it would sound like Asbury Park's Seaside Caves. Finally, Paper Streets were back in Asbury after a bit of a hiatus to support their good friends, Dentist.

Here are a few shots of all three sets. Check out the full gallery here.