At a time when students are locked in their respective study locations, be it the library or their stuffy rooms, it’s ideal to have a good collection of music to provide some escapism from the torture of revision. Soothing and gentle, Cave painting’s EP Rio provides an effective antidote to the stressful panic of exams and assignments, while not necessarily breaking boundaries. But that’s okay, because when you just need something to provide a bit of inspiration, Rio is certainly enough.
The title track ‘Rio’ presents what to expect with Cave Paintings EP: a calming, almost ethereal listen, with an introduction of distant guitar chimes and percussion. Vocalist Adam Kane provides the otherwise light-headed music with some effective weight, through the use of yearning, beckoning lyrical sound. Wishful thinking is the theme here, with words such as “who would have seen my face/when I was a hollow man”, and the ringing notes guitar, as well as the echoed drum beats really adding to this hollow feeling.
Second track ‘Peninsula’ provides more of an upbeat sound, with the pitter-patter of notes playing across the ears, while still maintaining that familiar echoing feel. Guitarist Harry plays makes more of an appearance in this track, as well as keyboardist Sam, both collectively overshadowing the vocals. Whereas drummer Jonathan steals the lime-light in ‘The Go-Slow’, with the percussion co-existing along-side some heated, rumbling string backing. This track also outlines an atmosphere of each track softly swirling into one another, like an oil-painting, with each musical component occasionally overpowering another.
‘Sanuel’ finishes the whole EP off in a fairly unremarkable fashion however, arguably carrying on for just a bit two long, but still upholding a good standard of smooth music.
Perhaps the best way to describe Cave Painting’s EP is that of being gently pushed into the drifting, crisp but fairly un-platonic waters of Rio. A beautiful piece of music that will soften even the greatest amount of worry, but may not inspire anything too grand.
7/10
