A decade and a half hiatus is a lengthy amount of time. What has emo-meets-pop rock band The Cab been doing this whole time? Turns out a lot of learning when it comes to relationships. Resurfacing not only to the studio, but to the road, The Cab champions heartache with the Back From The Dead Tour, supporting their first full-length album release in 15 years — Chasing Crowns.
If you missed the initial Cab craze, let’s catch you up to speed…
Formed by frontman Alex DeLeon while he was still in high school, The Cab took shape in Las Vegas the year emo music hit an all-time high — 2005. Joining the black parade turned out to be a good move, with the band’s 2008 debut album Whisper War quickly reaching #1 on the Billboard Heartseekers Album Chart (with contributions by Panic! At The Disco‘s Brenden Urie, no less!). By 2011, The Cab had risen in the pop rock ranks to be a staple of the industry, releasing their sophomore album Symphony Soldier to much acclaim. The world was their sad little oyster…
Until the band went darker than their subject matter.
Fans were left scratching their heads on what could’ve happened to The Cab. Well, ladies and gents, we finally have an answer. Chasing Crowns details the catastrophic toxicity that (presumably) DeLeon survived, who’s now “Back From the Dead” to tell his tale over 18 new tracks. Broken can still be beautiful, evidenced in the cracked album art of a headless king put back together by the Japanese art form of kintsugi (literally meaning “golden joinery”).
Welcome to the resurrection, folks. But first, let us revisit a famous decree by King Louis XIV — “Ultima Ratio Regum”. Meaning “the final argument of kings”, the Latin phrase signifies when all diplomacy, negotiation, and political reasoning fail, war becomes a sovereign’s last resort. Employing a history lesson as the album’s introduction with church bells ringing, it’s clear that war has been declared.
Get ready to be “Locked and Loaded”…
Asking “what are you made of? // what are you afraid of?”, DeLeon enlists listeners into the battle with his ex. Fast-paced and full of anger, DeLeon says he’s gone through angels and demons, “met the devil himself”, and yet, he still stands. Track two is a song of resurrection, a battlecry to his nemesis; he’s “learned to fight in the flames”. Track three, “Back From The Dead”, stitches together more of the backstory behind the band’s disappearance. “Miss Guillotine, remember when we used to be a team?” With snippets of hip hop vocal delivery and lots of spite, DeLeon spits out the venom that has poisoned his body and mind for so long.
The fourth track departs from the revenge thread for a minute, focusing on optimism, new possibilities, and future “blue skies”. Clearly, DeLeon loves hard, falls hard, and shatters hard, only to start the cycle all over again when after gluing himself back together.
Let’s hope the glue holds this time…
Jumping from pop vibes for fans of Justin Timberlake to the edgy rock riffs that defined the band in the first place, The Cab is solidly back in action — succubus be damned. And Chasing Crowns in all its comeback glory is now out on all digital outlets… but if you want a real raw sound, we recommend snatching up one of the double-LP pressings on clear vinyl. For more on where to get it, how to be at one of The Cab’s live shows, or to hear the album in full, see below for details.
The Cab – “Back From The Dead”
Track listing:
- Ultima Ratio Regum
- Locked and Loaded
- Back From The Dead
- Lost With You
- ih8yourgutz
- Sweet Kerosene
- Every Little Lie
- Ruin Me
- Every Universe
- Interlude
- Pain
- Wasted
- Heart In a Blender
- Rollercoaster
- Fuck It
- Stay This Way Forever
- Hellraiser
- Tears in Reverse
Stream ‘Chasing Crowns’ album:
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Disclaimer: All views presented in this album review are those of the reviewer and not necessarily those of Top Shelf Music.
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