Cascade Riot Reveals “Life on Venus”

Sometimes the first line says it all, and when it comes to Life on Venus, the latest EP from Detroit, Michigan, based pop-punk superstars-in-the-making Cascade Riot, that’s definitely the case: The tank is dry. It’s like a reawakening.

The line is from the EP’s opening track, “PNC,” and it speaks volumes for everything to come on this tight collection of tunes: disillusionment with the current state of affairs in the universe we occupy tempered with a weird sense of nihilistic optimism that only comes from hitting rock-bottom.

Take, for example, the bitter sci-fi wistfulness of track two, “Cobwebs,” with its own pitchperfect opener: Meet me in another timeline/And we’ll curse the one we’re in. Or the plaintive search for a cosmic companion to help fend off the loneliness of a cold, uncaring universe in “Chasing Stars”: Are you there, someone?

Echoing the title of Judy Blume’s middle-grad classic, Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret, the line suggests that a valid alternate title for Life on Venus could easily be Are You There, Someone? It’s Us, Cascade Riot! More to the point, the lowercase anonymity of “someone” underscores the fate of humanity in a broken-down, poisoned world: abandoned by the divine, our only recourse is to rock on and hope for the best.

Which, it turns out, isn’t as foolhardy an endeavor as it may seem—at least not in light of the nominally optimistic closer “Wall.” It’s a song about tearing off armor and tearing down walls, a song about laying waste to all the old and tired attitudes that only serve to hold us down.

Influenced by all forms of rock, pop, punk, and alternative from every decade, Cascade Riot keeps the pop-punk faith throughout Life on Venus with melodic vocals soaring over frenetic drums and a driving bass-and-guitar combo, with the band’s newest member, Nick Maston (who, according to the band’s press materials, had a small part in 2011’s A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas) texturing the proceedings on the anthemic “Chasing Stars” with a jangly acoustic guitar part.

For my money, the strongest track on the EP is “Cobwebs.” On this track, original band members Ryan Failla (vocals/guitar), Adam Brady (bass), and Alex Brady (drums) come across as an incredibly polished unit capable of producing songs that would feel right at home at the top of any pop chart—punk or otherwise. I can definitely imagine them sharing a festival stage with the likes of Green Day or Blink 182, and also have a feeling that they’ll be making it onto more than a few best-of playlists before the year is out.

Every track of Life on Venus is a polished double-edged sword that slices cleanly in both directions. Swing the sword one way, and there’s no doubt that we live in a fallen world. Swing it the other way, and we just might be able to do something about it. That other timeline the fellas in Cascade Riot mention in “Cobwebs”? Well, maybe if enough of us play Life on Venus at full volume all at once, we’ll make it a reality.

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Note from the editor: we have “Cobwebs” by Cascade Riot in rotation on AMS Radio and scheduled to regularly spin during the “New Releases” segment of Wednesday night’s “Indie Anarchy” timeslot (7pm Pacfific) … starting tonight! Tune in and jam out to this amazing tune as well as much more of the latest and greatest independent music around Tuesdays through Thursdays from 7pm to 9pm!

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About the Writer:

At any moment on any given day, you can find Marc Schuster engaging in any number of activities: assembling his weekly radio show, interviewing musicians for his blog, laying down drum tracks for various artists, rehearsing for the next show with Philadelphia-based power-pop band Scoopski (in which he plays bass), recording music for his own wide-ranging projects (solo and otherwise), experimenting with film and animation, or designing album covers and concert posters for fellow musicians. On top of all that, he’s full-time college professor with a healthy catalog of publications to his name, including a book on the Beach Boys’ Holland album and an illustrated children’s book titled “Frankie Lumlit’s Janky Drumkit.” Our beloved host of the Tweetcore Radio Hour here on AMS Radio is one to keep busy. Learn more about him and connect online:

Abominations Blog | Marc Schuster Official Website