Caspian – Caspian Review

If you’re a post-rock fan, then you’re probably sitting on such a high right now. This year we’ve been given the gift of so many incredible releases from bands including If These Trees Could Talk, MONO, and Lost in Kyiv – to name a few. So to hear Caspian had something in the works was just the icing on the cake.

Caspian have been pretty quiet since their last album, On Circles, dropped in 2019. Aside from their streaming profiles being hijacked, we’ve seen very little activity. Then, just a few months ago, the band announced their new album alongside the single Remain, and I was HYPED. From the single alone, I could already tell that this album was going to be incredible, and I wasn’t wrong.

As far as post-rock goes, Caspian are without a doubt among the best of them with their unique blend of uplifting instrumentals that begin big and somehow just get bigger. What I love about their music is just how they can evoke so many emotions from their compositions, whether that’s a feeling of warmth and sentimentality, or introspective and uplifting. For me, this album is one of the more uplifting albums in post-rock I’ve heard in a while.

There’s something intricately happy about how the music makes me feel. It’s not dark and moody like some post-rock. This album is so uplifting I can’t help but smile when hearing it. The opening to Remain feels so sickeningly positive and passionate. It’s actually so refreshing. I adore post-rock, but at times it can just feel a little too melancholic and woeful. Even songs that begin moody and explode into massive triumphant crescendos don’t quite hit the spot like this album.

This time around, the band has opted to ditch vocals in favour of pure instrumental, and I will say that it doesn’t necessarily feel like anything is missing. Caspian has a way of being able to fill space without it being too overwhelming and chaotic. Even during the most atmospheric parts of songs with crashing drums, pumping bass, and reverb-heavy tremolo picking, it’s all well balanced and feels more like a bath of sound as opposed to a crashing wave.

During those seven years of quiet, the band’s musical muscles haven’t atrophied. If anything, it’s almost like they never took a breath. They’re as on-point as they ever have been and sound better than ever. There’s often something to be said about a band that doesn’t really do anything to evolve their sound, but with Caspian, I don’t think that’s ever an issue. Caspian does what Caspian does best, and that formula just works.

The band themselves are spread across the US now, but that hasn’t stopped them from collaborating, albeit briefly in person, before diving into the studio. This constraint has worked for the better, in my opinion, as it feels each song is the result of being able to put ideas on paper without overthinking. Each piece feels intentional, as opposed to a band mulling over parts and eventually removing what originally made the song great to begin with.

Though post-rock at its core, Caspian‘s self-titled album also dabbles occasionally with some post-metal vibes, especially on the crushing track, A Great Fire, which kicks off immediately with a gritty, crunchy bassline that lays the foundation for an emotionally rich soundscape that evolves into a guitar-heavy pounding apex before coming full circle as the band drops out, leaving only the bass to end the song.