Cloud Caverns

Long Island, New York based experimental and acoustic band Cloud Caverns are a bit of a mix of everything. Their first full length album, Gypsy Loft was released on May 4, and is a great folk rock record. The project of Brandon Peterson and Dan Bouza, Cloud Caverns feel a bit like what would happen if M. Ward and Neutral Milk Hotel got together and put out a record. Smoky male vocals and gorgeously crafted guitar parts combined with equally pretty horns and strings and they aren’t afraid to get weird or heavy.

“Sparrow” is a perfect opener for Gypsy Loft. It starts off a little strange, but lulls the listener into a false sense of security with some lovely harmonies, xylophone and guitar before launching into a rocking ending. “The New Colossus” is a beautiful track with some fingerpicked guitar and haunting lyrical imagery. I really love a lot of the drumming on the record, especially on tracks like “Memory Leaks” and the title track “Gypsy Loft”. One incredible track is “MacArthur” which explodes almost out of nowhere into an epic track that is arguably the heaviest on the record. Part of why I really dig Cloud Caverns is the huge variety of sound on Gypsy Loft. There’s guitar, both gently strummed acoustic, and distorted electric, there’s strings and horns, melodic percussion, and some great vocals, it’s a really well composed album, and to call it purely acoustic would be selling it short because it excels far beyond that.

If you’re a fan of indie folk, acoustic music, or folk rock, you’ll likely enjoy Gypsy Loft. The debut album of this duo is tremendous, and their five track EP released last year, Blind Willow is also worth checking out.

Facebook: facebook.com/cloudcaverns
Bandcamp: cloudcaverns.bandcamp.com

The video below is a small, stripped down sample of what they sound like, please check out their bandcamp page!