Cape Crush and their sensational debut EP San Souci is absolute music perfection. If you consider yourself a music lover “San Souci “ should be required listening.

Cape Crush is a power-pop/emo band hailing from the North Shore of Massachusetts. The band consists of scene-veterans Ali Lipman on guitar and vocals, James Christopher on guitar, Jake Letizia on bass, and Cody Rico on drums

At the beginning of April we were lucky enough to check out the stunning track “Sandwich Wars” which, made us eager for “San Souci” We can honestly tell you that “Sandwich Wars” is only the tip of the iceberg. “San Souci” is one the most complete EP’s we have heard in a long time . From start to finish there isn’t a bad track to be found.

The opening track of the EP “Avec Souci” which is the band’s latest single is well crafted beautiful melody that is the perfect opener as it shows the full range and talent of the band as a whole.

The EP does a tremendous job of providing an excellent snapshot of various moments and memories gone by .

You can listen to “San Souci on Spotify Here and on Apple Music Here

Of the bands debut EP, ‘San Souci’(out today, Friday, April 14 via Ancient Injury Records), Lipman says, “‘San Souci’ is a collection of six songs named for the neighborhood in South Carolina I lived briefly in my early twenties. San Souci means, “without a care,” in French and I always loved the irony of living somewhere called San Souci while being full of care and worries – hence why the opening track is named, “Avec Souci,” or, “with care.” It’s a mix of older songs and newer songs that were written in response to or as a continuation of the older ones. Each song is a reflection on that time in life when your mistakes feel colossal and irreversible. I feel like the EP as a whole looks back on events from the perspective of someone who has loved, lost, and learned a little about what’s important.

There are themes of homesickness and isolation written into the lyrics – whether it’s phoning your friends back home in “Sunny & Boone” to ask them how their pets are doing, or the description of feeling like a statue in a snowglobe in “Mother’s Day.” We also explore themes of addiction and loss in both “Avec Souci,” and “Del Water Gap.” There’s a lot of personal imagery, but these are relatable themes that I hope are as cathartic to listen to as they were to write.”

The title track “San Souci” has such an electrifying groove to it . We are head over heels for the harmony and melodies. “San Souci “ has that coveted “Timeless “ quality to it that makes it relevant in almost any musical era.

We loved the story telling and stunning melodies on “Sunny &Boone “ Throughout out the well crafted EP there is this wonderful “Heart on Sleeve “ honestly that is so refreshing.

We found ourselves captivated with “Mother’s Day” The song had some really nice imagery and the vocals were absolutely flawless . We love the EP as a whole but “Mother’s Day” is definitely a favorite.

The final track “Del Water Gap” is an absolutely beautiful track . We were drawn in by the track as the beginning had this real folk feel but as the song progressed it took on a more rock feel .

On the overall writing process Ali comments “James and I began arranging these songs together in the winter of 2021-22. I had wanted to put together a band for a long time and James knew just what to do with my songs. He has an incredible gift for taking a folk song and turning it into an anthem. We developed a feedback loop with each other when it came to songwriting that helped to establish our overall sound. Cody brought even more vision when he joined on the drums. He was able to pick up quickly on what we were going for and gave us a lot of driving momentum. The same is true of Jake who plays bass. It’s helpful that we share the same inspirations but aren’t trying to emulate any one band.”

As for the recording of “San Souci” Ali confides Recording at God City was so cool. I think it was a dream come true for all of us to make our EP where so much important music has been made. Hearing the songs finally come together in their final form was so exciting. We spent 5 days in the studio with Zach Weeks. He’s a fast thinker and understood the vision very quickly. He helped us get what we needed to put together something we’re proud to share. The EP was mastered by Magnus Lindberg who is also a total pro.”

Jake also commented on recording ,

God City has always been one of those “wouldn’t it be so cool if…” places that I’d hoped to record at one day. Having Zach there just made the actualization of that ‘what if’ scenario even better. Despite being friends for over a decade, I’d never had a chance to record anything with him up until this EP. He’s supportive, calm, and insightful in so many ways – I’d recommend him to anyone looking to bring the most out of their own material.”

Jake adds, “It’s been such a joy to write with these three. I’ve been lucky enough to have been friends with all of them in overlapping spheres for about 15 years, which may explain how fun and organic the songwriting process has been. Being fans of all of their other musical outputs definitely doesn’t hurt either. I’m so excited to get the rest of these songs out into the world, and continue rounding out the songs that will be on our first full length!”

Cape Crush has some live shows coming up, we have listed them below

We have said it before and will say it again… Great music is like a great piece of art it needs to be shared and enjoyed by the world “San Souci” is a beautifully crafted work of art made by three tremendously talented musicians and it needs to be shared with the world.

Upcoming shows

April 29- Salem, MA @ ChagallPAC

June 3- Allston, MA– @ O’Briens (Benefit Show For Cody Rico)

July 20-23 – Somerville, MA –Nice, A Fest