Photo via Social Caterpillar
Witnessing a Social Caterpillar show is like accidentally taking part in a punk rock seance.
The band’s performances seamlessly flow between enchanting and haunting, tackling subject matter that is both uplifting and anxiety ridden. Between songs, drummer Whisper Crystal verbalizes his disdain for the police while in the same breath reminding the crowd to be well and love their friends. Vocalist Kyle Smith performs as if he’s been possessed by the spirit of Elliot Smith and at one particular Company Brewing performance, finished off the set by ripping the strings off of his acoustic guitar. Violinist Eric Ash and bassist Eli Smith are the glue that holds everything together—always calm and always accenting the music with vocal harmonies and catchy rhythms and leads.
And so even without diving into the lyrical themes that Social Caterpillar writes about, there is a sort of a duality that encompasses the band’s presence. It feels appropriate then that the group’s latest two releases, both part of a series that the band is calling (Distance), deal with both sides of a thematic coin, with each containing two tracks that tackle a different subject matter.
The (Distance) series is a new approach for the band, but one that was appropriate for the pandemic shutdowns, without even acknowledging the “socially distanced” wordplay. All songs were self-recorded by Kyle Smith, and the EPs have a very DIY bedroom feel to them, while retaining the dark and folk-like elements that fans have come to expect from the band. Kyle Smith is the only member featured on these releases, but the band has acknowledged that some songs will be performed live with the full band and that some might appear on future releases, possibly rerecorded. In a way, the (Distance) songs are a return to the infant stages of Social Caterpillar when the band was just Kyle Smith and Ash playing together.
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The first of the series, simply titled (Distance), presents songs about love—one about being in love, and one about a lack of love, or more specifically, about navigating a feeling of emptiness in a world where you’re told how to think and act. Blaze it Up, the song that tackles the latter subject matter, features some elements that are rare in a Social Caterpillar song, such as an electric guitar solo—a stark contrast to the band’s typical stripped-down sound. It’s sort of sneak peak into the window of how the band has evolved during the time between its debut full-length Start a Fire That Sings You a Song and its upcoming release, a second full-length album that the band mentions has been recorded since last year and will be announced soon.
Reaching Out
The second in the (Distance) series, titled (Distance) Helping/Helpless, centers around a feeling of helplessness —what it’s like to feel helpless, but also what I’s like to reach out to someone feeling that way.
“It’s like saying, ‘I’ll come over and kick it with you and make sure you’re good,’” Kyle Smith says. “Everyone knows somebody that’s dealing with that kind of shit. Especially with quarantining, you can’t go over and hang out with them in person so it was like reaching out through a song.”
Each (Distance) release is available for purchase on bandcamp, and each release benefits a different charity, with all proceeds being donated to its corresponding organization. Helping/Helpless proceeds benefit The Milwaukee Blueprint for Peace, a community-driven organization that takes a public health approach to violence prevention in Milwaukee. The first (Distance) release benefits Leaders Igniting Transformation, a nonprofit aimed at advocating for public policy and developing leadership, especially in young people. There is no time limit on when donations stop. The band says that they will always donate any money made off of these releases.
Social Caterpillar has hinted that there will be at least a third (Distance) EP release—something to tide fans over until their yet-to-be-officially-announced sophomore full-length is released. And while it might seem like the release of new full-band music from Social Caterpillar is still a ways away, just know that there will at least be some small releases to make that (Distance) seem a lot shorter, and that if you’re feeling lost during the strange times that the pandemic has brought, remember that Social Caterpillar would probably remind you to be well and love your friends.
To find their music, visit their Bandcamp page.
