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The Cavernous Deliver An Engulfing New Record

If you haven't been properly introduced to The Cavernous, then let this be that introduction because the latest release from the ambitious duo brings out a very immersive experience that comes with some provocative electronic landscapes that, at times, can be slightly heavier, mostly coming from synthesizers that slice through other instruments with harsher tone but melodic foundation, and some exploratory songwriting that constructs unprecedented moods.


The release is a five-song EP that manages to walk the line between electronic body music, bringing together wild energy with post-industrial sounds and instruments, with an almost new age sort of art-pop that feels almost like dungeon music, but with a bit of an abstract and slightly nightmarish design.


You can hear an element of freedom and the way that they create the music. They are not binding themselves to particular genres per se. Instead, they're a bit more expansive in their approach, so they aren't afraid to experiment a bit and manufacture a sound that might be outside the normal realm of what they do.


All of this comes with traces and tinges of pop that hold on tight.


"Something Special" displays plenty of that as it focuses mostly on keys and some really cool changes in terms of the percussion and Beats that open up the song and give it a sweeping and vivid feel.


This is done by other synthesizers that are held out and have more roughness to them, but are used like bowed instruments. Almost like a cello or upright bass being bowed and giving a sensation of darkness.


That's part of what really makes the record special. They utilize digital instruments like keys and synthesizers in an almost orchestral approach at times.


"Minus The Moon" is a wonderfully flowing and slightly psychedelic track utilizing reverse production sounds and vocal harmonies to bring Rises of intensity as a staple throughout the entire course of the song.


Within the span of those five tracks, you're getting such a full body of work. The songs take you to different places, and at times they can be almost spiritualistic or otherworldly.


Sometimes you get songs that are a bit more aggressive, while there are tracks that dive deeper, creating the effect of distance through sound. Songs that you feel almost like they are guiding you.


What I feel like is the most beautiful aspect about this release is its blending of darkness and lightness. There are plenty of melodies and elements throughout songs that feel a little bright. Like there's a light at the end of the tunnel, while others are definitely darker, slightly brooding, and even Gothic.


The name of the record is "The Amaranthine Trilogy Volume One: (Un)broken Circles".


And there is plenty to peel back as you listen through this. That's part of the fun.


Are definitely able to hear the joy that these guys get out of experimenting with sound in general. Being able to create something that has a bit of wildness to it, packing in synth sounds like layers of membrane for you to peel back.


"Olympus Mons" surely showcases those kinds of aspects by layering on keys and building out this massive sonic drive. The whole release is a must here, especially if you really like outside-the-box production and songwriting, along with music you can get engulfed by.


You can find out plenty more about this release and how it was done from the duo themselves in our interview below.


Don't miss out on this one.


"Something Special" is part of the new EP, The Amaranthine Trilogy Volume One: (Un)broken Circles. Where does the title of the record come from?


JB: Amaranthine means timeless; unending or undying. The subtitles of each of the trilogy's volumes comes from lyrics of one of our songs, aptly named Trilogy. Which will be released on one of the upcoming EP's.


RM: The Trilogy seems to address contrasts and contradictions found in the human condition. (Un)broken Circles is about how human beings can use cycles to build and grow or destroy and whither. 


We were recording a jam while tripping. "Something Special" was the file name for the session, kind of marking that it could be turned into something cool.


The Cavernous is a duo correct? Do you write songs together, or does one of you have a full idea to bring to the other?


JB: Yes, we're a duo. We write songs a lot of different ways. We will record jams during practice and pick them apart at later dates, choosing sections that seem promising or at the very least interesting, and building off them. These ideas will often end up very different from how they started out.


Sometimes one of us will come to practice with some ideas — some barely formed, some almost complete — and we'll hammer it out into something shiny. Reincarnation is another completely different example. We wrote a 30-second piece as part of a score for an animated short, but we liked how it sounded so much that we wrote more parts and made it a full song.


Is it normally lyric that come after the instrumentals are finished?


JB: Yes, for sure. I think all of these songs were originally instrumental, and we played them that way live for years. A couple winters ago, Rob wrote lyrics for everything and it has made all of these songs far better and more fleshed out than they once were.


Is this EP actually the first part of a Trilogy yet to be fully released? If so, are the other records already completed?


JB: Yes, absolutely. The other two records are not yet completed. I think we're going to begin recording them next winter. We've got most of the songs worked out for the next two releases, but a few that we want to include on them are still little fledgling ideas that we need to write structure and different parts for. We are very excited about some new stuff we're working on.


Amazing synths on this! What kind of gear are you using in terms of synthesizers and keys?


JB: Thank you! For synths, I am using a Novation Mininova and a Korg MicroKorg XL. Rob is using the original Microkorg and a full-sized Roland keyboard with weighted keys (I forget the model), but he runs it through a bunch of guitar effects pedals — most notably the slicer, which is responsible for the choppy rhythmic loop on the album's closer, Olympus Mons.


Is this mainly a studio project or so you take this on stage as well?


JB: We do both! We play live shows all over BC every year, and with this record release, we finally have a recorded example of what our live sound is like. All of these songs we play live. In the past we have done some studio recordings that we never play live like the Siamese Spines EP split we did with Murphy Luzod, or more recently a concept album we recorded called Please Hold where you call a toll-free number to hear the album and it plays out like a hold sequence with fake operators and stuff; we don't play any of the songs from that album live.


How long did it take for you guys to complete this EP?


JB: I think we started recording it back in September, and slowly chipped away at it until early January. Then a couple months of mixing and tweaking. We both work full time, and Rob has two little ones at home, so we've had to make time to put this all together.

RM: Actually parts of this were recorded years ago, we took a stab and recording a bunch of these songs back in 2021 or 22. We used a couple parts from those sessions.


Was it also you that mixed and mastered the release?


JB: Yes it was. Other than having a bit of an ear for it, I don't really know what I'm doing when it comes to a professional mix or mastering. I just try and make sure it's not clipping and it sounds good on headphones, car stereo, and a living room stereo. I'm sure it would sound way better if professinoally mixed and mastered, but unfortunately we don't have that kind of money. We'd rather spend it on gear, haha.


What sort of inspirations drive you guys to make music?


JB: We are inspired by the feeling you get when you hear something incredible for the first time and have to share it with like-minded people. I got that feeling a couple years ago hearing Toronto-based band Luge and their album I Love it Here, I Live Here and I couldn't wait to show Rob and talk about it. Same thing when Rob showed me Clipping's new album Dead Channel Sky last year when we were working in my garage on road cases for our synths. We were both just so pumped. That's probably my favourite album of 2025. We want to make music that cultivates that feeling, takes people on a new journey. After a show, when people come up to us and say they loved it and they've never heard something like that before...we live for that.


How did you guys meet and begin making songs together?


RM: I wanted to build a new version of one of my bands that ended back in 2019 called "Lakeman", in that band all the members switched instruments, we found it really limiting being stuck on one instrument, which is definitely something we have tried to keep going in the Cavernous. Jesse came and "tried out" but really he was the only one who kept showing up. We tried a bass guitar in couple tracks, but it became clear quickly that we were leaning into the electronic gear we had. 


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