Cape Cub – Keep Me in Mind
The north-east of England is quickly becoming recognised as a hotbed of musical talent, with quality artists and bands sprouting up across the region. Amongst the up-and-comers is the indie/pop/alternative four-piece Cape Cub. The group is attracting ever-increasing attention from radio and recently joined the line up of bands, including the likes of Little Comets, to play at the O2 Academy Newcastle’s tenth birthday.
The latest release from Cape Cub is ‘Keep Me in Mind’, a single draped in reverb and low key, pure vocals. It showcases the band’s signature aesthetic of controlled understatement, akin to that of the XX, with a simple yet captivating melody line taking centre stage throughout. Nothing is rushed, nothing is unnecessary, all elements are beautifully controlled and pitched.
Opening with a single, delayed guitar line, which wouldn’t seem out of place on the latest James Bay single, this track slowly grows verse by verse. Gradually, more expansive drums are introduced as well as piano chords and washy synth work by the finale. The build up climaxes to a ‘solo’ of sorts at 2:40, which uses some interesting vocal elements, heavily processed during production. This build up gives great shape to the song, and the simple songwriting makes the whole thing very easy to enjoy.
The vocal is the centre throughout the song, and, like the drums, slowly builds up in the same way. It grows in range and processing, culminating in a layered, hypnotic repetition of the main hook to finish the song. The vocals still sound pure and raw despite the addition of reverb and double-tracking, keeping the all important human element of imperfection in the singing to great effect.
Here, we have a very talented group of young musicians who have established their sound, one of simplicity and a purposefully laid back aesthetic. The songwriting and production techniques are moulded to display these aspects fantastically and clearly, not only on this track but throughout their repertoire (listen to ‘Swim’ and ‘Lantern’ on Soundcloud). Big things could well be ahead for these guys, I’ll certainly keep an ear out.
Release Date 07/10/2015 (Cape Cub)
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I am a third year music student at the University of Leeds and am passionate about experiencing music. In my view, being able to hear, see and appreciate the human involvement in playing an instrument or singing is the most important thing.
