Cave States Share New Single From EP 'Julie Says'

Julie Says, is a new single and EP by American indie-band Cave States, formed by Chris Grabau, Danny Kathriner, and Todd Schnitzer. The songs were written, recorded and mixed at Todd Schnitzer's Popscreen Studios.

Songwriter Kathriner describes the lead single as a "semi-autobiographical account of an exchange I had with a friend years ago - albeit somewhat of a brief conversation (here) for the sake of fitting it into a song. There are two people who cannot see eye to eye - and yet they are so much alike - both sarcastic, proud, and unwilling to meet in the middle. A good friendship which ultimately ended because each party had shortcomings they were unwilling to admit - at the time. Years later - it's easier to evaluate, of course. No, her name is not actually Julie."

Like 2020's EP (The End is Around the Corner), the Julie Says EP showcases a more expansive sound for the band. Whereas previous releases often took a minimalist approach to composition, the new EP incorporates samples, percussion, and found sounds with acoustic instruments and complex vocal harmonies.

Also included in the EP are songs, "Gone Are The New Days" and "Time for Telling." Look for more music by Cave States to come in late 2021.

Cave States' Julie Says EP will be available May 21st on all digital and streaming platforms.

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

Veterans of the St. Louis Americana music community, songwriters Grabau, Kathriner, and Schnitzer have led or supported some of the regions best known bands including Magnolia Summer, Half Knots, Nadine, Colonel Ford, Wagon, and Waterloo. However, Cave States marks their first collaborate 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 praise 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 over three years, Cave States reemerged in 2020 with a three-song EP based on the single, "The End is Around the Corner." Their latest follow-up EP, Julie Says, comes out on May 21st.

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