Cage confirms that New York-based Caitlin Starr is still firmly rooted in 1990s alternative rock, but this time the fuzz and grunge come with a stronger power-pop streak. Where “Pass Me By” was pure melancholy, Cage hits harder, with more energy and a whole lot more swagger.
The guitars are absolutely loaded with distortion and fuzz, with that grungy heaviness that’s pretty much part of Caitlin’s DNA by now. But the song never turns dark or closes in on itself. There’s melody, there’s a big hook, and a touch of power pop — Veruca Salt style — that gives it some lift, while the rougher edges and sudden shifts in intensity lean more towards Hole. That mix of melodic vocals and dirty, heavy guitars also puts Starr somewhere in the orbit of contemporary bands like Wolf Alice.
Cage is about control, pressure and hierarchy. Caitlin starts off describing what sounds like an intimate relationship, but the moment the “boss” enters the picture, things get bigger, as if all that frustration is trickling down from above. “If you want violence, try it / It gets me off” is where it all boils over: defiance, desire and a refusal to stay on the receiving end.
“The song asks who benefits from societal expectations, beauty standards, and systems of control, questioning whether anyone wins, even those who profit from subjugation. It’s a call to fight back and reclaim agency by owning your story and who you are. It’s perfect for the moment you decide to break out,” Caitlin Starr.
The video takes all of that straight into pulp territory: kidnapping, ropes, shadowy surveillance, cars, bikes and a nighttime chase that barely lets up. The cage is both literal and symbolic. Caitlin escapes, runs herself ragged and eventually finds refuge among a punk/goth crowd. Rather than escaping the chaos altogether, she figures out how to move through it.
Cage is the third single from Speed Saves, out 9 October via G-Foil Records. Three tracks in, Caitlin Starr is already making it pretty clear that slowing down isn’t really part of the plan.
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