A wavy, groovy, and smooth piece of guitar driven indie pop rock music, Pete Cautious’ ‘Garden Of The Gods’ feels as luscious and vivid as its title would imply. From the ever so chirpy and gleeful ‘Fell in Love’ to the more dreamy and atmospheric ‘Fantasy’, you’re swooned into a world that’s been constructed end to end from this stalwart from Chicago’s rock scene. Each riff across this record feels more intriguing and engaging than the last, so uniquely fresh and catchy. It’s vibey and bewitching at once, combining a rather contemporary sound with something more futuristic and unexplored. Bringing out an array of influences from modern indie rock legends, Pete Cautious delivers ‘Garden Of The Gods’ as a statement LP to remember. At forty minutes long, any fan of guitar driven pop rock is bound to find multiple songs to bump to your playlists.
The moment on this record that immediately made me exceptionally obsessed was when the solo hits at ‘Change Your Mind’. A sheer statement of dexterous skill, Pete Cautious completely floors you with an electric solo that’s incredibly fast paced yet ever so smooth all at once. The verses and chorus on this song are so laidback and chilled out but the solo brings out a whole new energy to the entire piece. The album’s titular track is a landmark piece on the record as a whole. With a slow and progressive build up, comfortable with moments of silence and quiet, it slowly rises and flourishes the arrangement with a host of tiny sonic elements to create this expressive and resplendent picture of what the garden itself might seem like. It feels heavenly, something not of this world, and aspirational in so many ways.
I’ve rarely found myself so readily immersed into a record from back to front as Pete Cautious’s latest work. As someone who loves this rather washed over contemporary indie pop style but also has a real obsession with impressive guitar melodies, it crosses over the two styles so effortlessly and exquisitely.