Cave Bat issues second EP of tripped-out synth vibes
Upstart experimental duo channels sonic forbears with kraut-leaning rewards
- Courtesy Cave Bat
Given Nathan Brown’s background, it’s anyone’s guess as to what a new project founded by the productive member of Atlanta’s experimental music scene would sound like. The Eyedrum promoter and board member, sole proprietor of Hopi Torvald, and one-half of Tree Creature has more than dabbled in all walks of outsider sounds, be it lilting drone and primal percussion to harrowing noise. But last month, Brown quietly unveiled Cave Bat, a freewheeling collaboration with his roommate Kris Nelson. As Brown explains, Cave Bat began with modest intentions: “We are housemates and decided we had no excuse to not be playing and this is an exercise in being honest and prolific with our sounds while committing to single-takes, improvisation and our love for winged rodents!” The project is already two EPs deep into its focused unrestraint, more than subtly nodding to the greats of experimental music’s past. It all seems to be here: the serious curiosity and sky-gazing kosmische vibes of krautrock gods and the unending focus of electronic dronesmiths Charlemagne Palestine or Klaus Schulze. But Brown and Nelson modernize the amorphous sounds with effortless glee, resembling Excepter or Headboggle with a lo-fi slant. At times rustically percussive and hypnotically cacophonous while others sublime and meditative, the duo’s second EP Clan of the Cave Bat careens through its four tracks with carefree recklessness and inviting spirits. Stream Clan of the Cave Bat below and keep an eye on the project’s Bandcamp for more releases surely to come.