Caverns Album Review

Wellington two piece noisemakers Into Orbit have an appropriate name for the kind of music they’ve created on their new album Caverns; it’s spacey feeling, often out there and is sure to take off. I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect from the album before listening to it (or even if I’d like it at all), but came away a devoted fan after having it on constant repeat for a couple of days while I explored everything it had to offer (I’m still not there yet, not even close).

It starts out slow, almost droney, on the almost 10 minute opener Corridors… Caverns, but don’t let that influence your expectations of what’s to follow because it quickly descends into some pretty heavy and intense rock… before veering off in all sorts of musical directions over the next 40 plus minutes. Somehow the band never seems to get lost in it, and there’s a theme running throughout the 7 tracks that adds a consistent feel to the album as a whole.

At times I was reminded of the now-defunct An Emerald City, and at other times there was a hint of the heaviness of Kerretta coming through, but neither are bad influences to be displaying in your music, and there was never any thought of drummer Ian Moir and guitarist Paul Stewart trying to replicate the sounds of those bands. 

On their own, songs like Set Adrift (probably my favourite from the album) are solid perfect pieces of instrumental experimental rock; lengthy, moving from soft soundscape to harsh crunch and back again, often within a few seconds. Together the songs are so much more; it’s a journey, and an experience, through sound. 

Others have tried to do similar things recently, but Into Orbit have really nailed it on this album. I think I’ll be listening to this one for a long time to come. You should be too.