Caustic Casanova Hits Hard With Feisty New Single

Malfunkshun recorded a song some 30 years ago called “With Yo’ Heart (Not Yo’ Hands).” To me, the title alone says volumes about the place of authenticity in music making. You can be technically proficient, you and paint by the numbers, follow the formula, but it won’t resonate with listeners unless it’s coming from a place deep inside you. That’s how a band like CAUSTIC CASANOVA distinguishes itself when I’ve audited so many albums that I’m almost sick to death of hearing anything with a beat. And yet, still these tired ears can be lulled into asking, “Whose song is this, anyway?” Above all else, be interesting.

The band from D.C. has plenty of heart and ideas to spare, making the decision of which song to premiere really hard when their PR guy asks me to choose the one I liked best. “Boxed and Crated,” the album-ending track from God How I Envy The Deaf, eventually won out. Says the band of this particular number:

“‘Boxed and Crated’ is one of our most unusual songs. For a while we’d been closing sets with our cover of The Melvins’ 'Cow’ from our Pantheon: Vol. 2 record. I wanted to add an original tune to our repertoire that could replace "Cow” as a set closer but with similar components, like a hellacious heavy metal start, an open-ended noise ending that could lend itself to improvisation and experimentation, and a Melvins-esque, focused sense of silliness. What was conceived as a short tune ended up, in classic CC fashion, becoming an album-ending and set-closing noise-prog epic.

“This song’s got it all. Lyrics pulled directly from The Drew Carey Show, Spanish language verses, an epic guitar solo, layered percussion, sonic references to "Escape” by Rupert Holmes, and of course guitarist Andrew Yonki animatedly reading Lovecraft, slowed down so it becomes a molten lava sound effect, closing out the track as we slow a simple drone down to the doomiest of tempos.

“The lyrics are also a complete farce, in an intentional way. They’re intended to mirror and also distort the words on the album’s opener, 'Fancy English.’ The record starts with a question, "where is hatred bred?” and ends with comical and ridiculous lyrical repetitions of the word “hate.” It’s repeated so much that the listener should become numb to the word. One of the main premises of social media is to keep users upset and full of hatred long enough to sell them products. They’re made to feel that arguing with and insulting others is energy and time well spent, so that serious discussion devolves into blind and deaf rage, and then they’re shown products to make them feel better. It’s a sick joke. 'Boxed and Crated’ is the album’s final descent from coherence into madness and then finally into the grave, lyrically and musically. Enjoy!“

This one gets wild, too, people, watch out. Just wait until you hear that guitar solo! Look for God How I Envy The Deaf on October 18th on digital, CD, and vinyl formats via Magnetic Eye Records (pre-order here).

Give ear…

Some Buzz

Relentless road-dogs CAUSTIC CASANOVA will release their new album, God How I Envy The Deaf, this October via Magnetic Eye Records. The record lands after a nearly two-month cross-country tour and only weeks prior to another trek in support of the confident collection of singable riff-punk anthems, establishing yet again that this band won’t be held to any sort of predictable musical path nor many nights sleeping in their own beds.

Since forming as teenagers at the College of William & Mary in 2005, Caustic Casanova have weathered lineup changes and life-threatening injuries while maintaining an aggressive DIY touring ethic, and their eclectic sound has made them a favorite in a crowded scene.

Following drummer/vocalist Stefanie Zaenker’s recovery from wrist injuries that nearly ended her ability to play, the band the band released the critically acclaimed LP Breaks in 2015 on Kylesa’s Retro Futurist Records, as well as a trio of EPs between 2013 and 2018 that paired original songs with classics from Pentagram, the Melvins and Weedeater. This hard work led to nominations for multiple Washington Area Music Awards in 2019, as well as a deal with Magnetic Eye Records to release the much-anticipated new album.

Looking to the future, the band (Zaenker, along with bassist/vocalist Francis Beringer, guitarist Jake Kimberley and guitarist Andrew Yonki) have already begun work on material for their next album. First, though, the road-hardened unit will be showcasing the genre-mashing twists and alchemies of God How I Envy the Deaf across the world, including a slot at Magnetic Eye’s upcoming Day of Doom label showcase this November, with lots more live dates to come.