Exploring Cave Radio's Self-Reflective Terrain with Atlas

By: Lauren Textor

Cave Radio is an indie rock group from St. Louis with bright, silky vocals and raw lyrics. The cover of their sophomore album, Atlas, features a close-up of an orange moth wing that symbolizes the metamorphosis theme threaded throughout.

Compared to 2023’s Deserter, Atlas is more joyful but retains the authenticity that characterizes Cave Radio’s first release. Neither is overly produced. In a music scene saturated with bands that can be difficult to distinguish from each other, Cave Radio takes the listener back to indie rock’s basics, with the added levity of a pop twist.

Atlas opens with a 29-second instrumental that leads into the gorgeously philosophical “The Void.” Vocalist Deanna Sorenson questions the wisdom of burying pieces of herself: 

“Half my identity / Left to spaghettify / Cutting those deep roots / Strangling to survive.”

Creative verb choices and self-reflective lyrics shine throughout all of the tracks, but especially here.

“Early-Aughts Pipe Dream” is another standout for its use of percussion and yearning, youthful relatability. Sorenson describes a Strokes tee-clad crush and nervous conversations on the bleachers. She paints a vivid picture of awkward teenage years with a dance-worthy beat beneath.

The next track is “Wilderness, Pt. 1.” It’s lullaby quiet with anxious lyrics echoed by “Wilderness, Pt. 2,” the penultimate song. The latter has a deep, synth beat and an element of spoken-word poetry. It’s a clear departure from the tone and arrangement of the rest of the album. Though it’s fresh and genuine, it feels abrupt after the much more upbeat and funky “Medicine.”

“42” wraps up the album with a bow. The tribute to Douglas Adams’s “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” ends the LP on a hopeful note as Sorenson theorizes that maybe home isn’t a place, but a person.