If his music is anything to go by, Caterwaulrus is probably a nice dude to kick it with. He seems like he could be the kind that’d show up to a hang with some flowers he picked on his walk over, just for you, but who’d also be willing to tell you that he feels a bit weird about killing something pretty. That feeling of sunshine and good days with an underlying soft gloom just drips from the sound on songwriter’s newest album, the just-released "Songs that Go Nowhere." That title is a bit misleading, but also a bit of the truth- these songs do float around like gentle clouds, but they’re also dense and complex and there’s nothing ambiguous about the way they hone in on their target tone. The album is laced with looping vocals all reverb-ed out to blissfulness, little electronic touches and pieces of beats, all of which melds together with no element ever threatening to overwhelm the rest of the track. And, despite the expansive warmth and haze in the sound, the sounds collectively bely the underlying subject of the tracks on the album, which almost all speak of Caterwaulrus’ melancholy. Lyrics like "I’m so fucking picky and I over think god damn everything," or "I’m a synesthetic skeptic slowly snoozing with regret, it’s not quite what mom expected" reveal a mind that is a bit worried and not always happy with itself, though it’d like to be, and that thought tunnels through the whole album. But, it’s delivered in such a poppy (albeit highly experimental pop), major-key fashion, buried deep within the summer smile that is the overriding tone, that you barely notice that these aren’t songs about having a good day at all. It’s a modern feeling buried in a modern sound, and if you have enjoyed artists like Toro y Moi in the recent past, you might find Caterwaulrus a good fit for your modern moods. Give it a go below, and float through your own contemporary, confusing life with a friend in your ear who understands.
