ALBUM REVIEW: “This Summer” by Caged Animals

Caged Animals
This Summer
[Lucky Number Music]

Well, they made it real easy for you. It’s all in the title. This Summer EP is for this summer. With a name like that, the least you could do is dig yourself up a sand chair and take in Caged Animals‘ newest EP.

The commencing track “This Summer I’ll Make It Up To You” sounds very guided by a Magnetic Fields influence. It has that relentless electro-beat with garage strings being plucked in the background. “Burnt Butterfly” starts out with a space like synth, then with a riff that could be confused with the beachy anthem “Wipe Out” intro. The drowned vocals of Vincent Cacchione creates an increasing mystery to what already seems like a distant track. The sandwiched song of the 5-track EP is “She Oughta Be In Malibu” tells the story of a woman wasting her time in the bustle of Los Angeles when she should be at the solemn and secluded beaches of Malibu. The sound of “I Will Take My Own Hand” could be described as neo-dubby reggae as Talya Rose Cacchione slaps a melodic bass line. As relaxing of a listen as “^^ & Away” is, this closer of the album is a distorted mess, leaving Cacchione sounding like a Muppet that Jim Henson never got around to creating.