There are a lot of records that make great claims of political awareness, moral ascendancy and fantastical flight. For all this righteous polemic, a few records exist that are soundtracks to times of year, or to periods of youth.
The Beach Boys sang of surfing, cars, coolness and girls(before the madness set in), the Crickets sang of nervous hand-holding, the Ramones of high school. Cali natives Cayucas (named after the sleepy town from which they hail) are denizens of this impossible, endless world.
Signed to Secretly Canadian, “Bigfoot” is the quintet’s debut release, special editions of which will contain a beach ball. In broad terms, this is called ‘setting your stall out early’; what dark clouds there are to be heard on this record are of a subtle, lyrical nature – there are no blackened skies here. This is a well timed release indeed, as the sun begins to peek out again from behind the clouds.
Sashaying out of the blocks with Cayucos, there is reverb and handclap room a-plenty. Every vocal on this record has been dipped in muted shimmer for special surfyness, giving it a removed, dreamlike feel. It’s hard to imagine Zach Yudin singing without it – the sound becomes so ubiquitous that it moves his voice to another hemisphere.
The highlight, it must be said, is recent video/single release “High School Lover” who’s cleverly juddering video is absolutely worth seeing. A swinging, almost double-bass line and tom-rich drum pattern underscores Yudin’s creatively judged vocal line. Interesting, divergent word timings abound, while remaining catchy and singable. This traditional paean to missed love is made more intriguing by the narrators’ decision to specify this romantic opportunity’s ideal time frame; he seems not to care too much for his romantic charge, advising that she’s been ‘acting like you’re too cool for far too long/it’s okay, it’s just kind of embarrassing‘.
A principle difficulty with this record is that it elects to stay at one tempo for its duration. The whole album canters along at the same speed, despite flitting between Hawaiian Instagram (Cayucos, East Coast Girl), Buddy Hollyisms (A Summer Thing) and drifting calypso(Deep Sea). Though there is very little between these styles besides rhythmic emphasis, it’s a lot of ground to cover, and is watered down slightly by being so monotone.
This is a genuine shame, as taken on their own, each track is highly listenable. A particular favorite was Will “The Thrill”, which reminds me a great deal of Under The Sea from The Little Mermaid. One cannot imagine that this was the groups’ intention, as all it accomplished was having itself replaced in my ears by a crab extolling the virtues of the life aquatic.
As touchstones, Cayucas’ sound is reminiscent of The War On Drugs, Animal Collective (at their most conservative), a less strident Django Django, and just a hint of new wave(see Ayawa ‘kya), but this is definitely their record. However, after repeated listens I struggled to call much of it to mind, and what I did remember couldn’t easily be placed in its parent song.
If you’re selling billowing linen shirts or laughing while riding your bike to the beach, this is the album for you. It’s well made and instantly likeable, but doesn’t stay in touch, like that friend of a friend you meet at a party. The second album should be wonderful.
Watch the video for Cayucos:
Follow Cayucas:
Website: http://www.cayucas.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/cayucasband
Label: http://secretlycanadian.com/artist.php?n…
Instagram: http://instagram.com/cayucas
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Cayucas/