Cave States Release New LP 'Liminal'

The last few years have certainly been a difficult and uncertain time. By all accounts, the band Cave States was poised to release a new album at the beginning of 2019. However, the pandemic sent songwriters, Christopher Grabau, Danny Kathriner, and Todd Schnitzer circling their respective wagons, caring for families, and prioritizing well-being over making art. Leaving a large catalog of demos unfinished.

However, the band eventually found a way to pivot and turned uncertainty into some of their most compelling and forward-looking music to date. Their latest album, Liminal, is a collection of new songs reflective of its time. Themes of loneliness, isolation, and uncertainty appear throughout the album's 11 tracks. Whereas Kathriner laments about the end of an era in the opener, "Gone Are the New Days," Grabau's seemingly optimistic "Good Day" suggests wanting more from casual infrequent connections.

While previous albums showcased the bands' take on minimalist folk, the 11 songs on Liminal present a complex sonic tapestry of samples, electric instruments, and layered vocals. Composer and Producer Todd Schnitzer aptly morphs simple melodies into dissonant and complex orchestrations - sometimes within the same song. The result is an album true to its namesake.

Liminal marks a period in the band's history where disconnection and uncertainty sparked new paths of creativity and expression. What's next for the band is unclear; however, one thing is for certain - needing to be connected with others through art is at its core why the band continues to make music.

Cave States often interweaves introspective lyrics, orchestral arrangements, and experimental soundscapes.

Veterans of the St. Louis Americana music community, songwriters Christopher Grabau, Danny Kathriner, and Todd Schnitzer have led or supported some of the region's best known bands including Magnolia Summer, Half Knots, Nadine, Colonel Ford, Wagon, and Waterloo. However, Cave States marks their first collaborative partnership.

In 2013, the trio quietly released their first album, The Great Divide, to international acclaim. While Eleven Magazine (St. Louis) stated, "It's collaboration at its finest... a seamless wave of harmonies punctuated with the squeak and chirp of fingers on strings that never venture into the darkness the bands' name implies." Americana UK called Divide, "an album to savor and revisit," while other reviews likened the band's music to The Jayhawks, Will Oldham, and Jason Molina.

In 2016, the band released their second album, True Life to more critical praise. The album marked a notable evolution of the band sound while retaining many of the same aesthetics established by the bands' debut. While American Songwriter tagged the bands evolution as, "Wilco-esque Americana," No Depression praised the album as "engaging as it is inspired. It would be hard to find a better example of songwriting skills and adept elocutions all combined within the same set of songs." Americana UK noted the album "rewards the listener over multiple spins... it's catchy, it's incisive, and it sounds fabulous."

After the release of True Life, Cave States' live presence evolved into a six-piece band. They performed regionally as well as a series of house concerts. However, in 2018 the band retreated back to Schnitzer's Popscreen Studios to work on a new album. While the process has taken a few years, Cave States reemerged in 2020 with a three-song EP based on the single, "The End is Around the Corner," and in 2021 followed that up with the EP Julie Says. The six tracks from these two EPs, along with five brand new songs, make up their latest full-length studio effort Liminal.

Listen to the new album here: