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Photo: Matt Borkowski

The Evolution of Caveman. Written for lifestylemirror.com. Published February 25, 2013.

“Thatwas a nickname for me. We were hanging out, and I had a really huge beard and really crazy hair, and he [a fan in Cleveland] was like, ‘You look like a caveman!’ and we kind of went from there,” says Caveman front man Matthew Iwanusa, of the band’s fitting moniker. Though these guys are far from philistines, making music all comes down to instinct.

It’s Valentine’s Day at 11 a.m. and the five-man New York-based band (not to be confused with the ’90s British hip-hop group) known for its moodily expansive sound slowly filtered into the lobby of the Ace Hotel, starting their long day of interviews and photo shoots as they geared up for the release of their self-titled second album and their upcoming North American tour.

Iwanusa and drummer Stefan Marolachakis are already there, but still just waking up, sipping coffee on the couch. They trade funny one-liners about their “romantic” evening together in room 616 the night before, which ended with late-night chili dogs, French fries, and a queen-sized bed. Even through all the facetiousness, there’s no question how much they all love each other.

The guys have known one another for years, playing in separate New York bands. But in 2009 this group of friends—consisting of Jeff Berrall (bass, backing vocals), James Carbonetti (guitar), Sam Hopkins (keys, backing vocals), Matthew Iwanusa (vocals, guitar, percussion), and Stefan Marolachakis (drums, backing vocals)—finally got together to form Caveman.

“All our old bands slowed down and stopped around the same time,” says Marolachakis. “Any excuse we had to play music together [in the past] we would, so it was a no-brainer when he [Iwanusa] called and said who we were going to assemble.”

Within a month of their first rehearsal, Caveman played Bowery Ballroom, opening for the Brooklyn band White Rabbits. Since then, they began playing the tunes that became its first album, CoCo Beware, making impressive appearances at CMJ, shows alongside Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, and stints on the road with the likes of The War on Drugs and Built to Spill.

“We were all in the same headspace, kind of coincidentally,” Marolachakis says of the effortless manifestation of their cinematic, spacious style. “It was an unspoken thing. It was such an incredibly pleasant surprise that when we all started playing, we all found ourselves wanting to do the same new thing at the same time.”

These days, the guys can’t wait to get their new 11-track album out. While its clear four-part harmonies and atmospheric sounds are deep in their DNA, this second album introduces new tones while retaining the band’s intimate, yet spacious feeling—most notably, a 1980s vibe complete with catchy synth melodies, melancholic bass arpeggios, head-bopping drum beats, and high-octave vocals. (It sounds like Sting could have made a special appearance in “Pricey” and “In The City.”)

“It’s a much bigger record than the first one,” Iwanusa explains. “We’ve been together for two years longer,” which says a lot for a band whose depth of sound contradicts it’s relatively short history.

And in a creative twist that actual cavemen would appreciate, the band records in the dark. “You can get lost in things more easily with the lights off,” Marolachakis says. The songs were written on a trip up to New Hampshire, where, in search of new melodies, the band members each spent time alone in a bathroom recording the strangest, impromptu vocal noises. “It went kind of over the top and crazy,” says Hopkins. “There was some early Roger Waters, Pink Floyd vibes going on there for a minute.”

Still, their favorite part about a new album is the chance to tour again. “Making new life experiences with your best friends is top of the list,” says Marolachakis. “It’s fun to make a bunch of songs together, and that’s the excuse to go see things we’ve never seen. Once you leave on tour it seems like anything could happen.”

Whatever comes, it’s all part of their evolution.

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