Band – Caution Boy
Album – Alligator
Label – Mongrel Records
Country – South Africa
On their 10 th album Caution Boy has brought late 90’s and 2000s nostalgia into a well-crafted album. The
Pretoria based band started out as vocalist Andi Capp’s solo project, he was later joined by Treveshan
Pather and Archie Kinnon the trio is now a dynamic band that has made a name for themselves sharing
the stage with big local bands like Fuzigish. Alligator is testament to the significant growth done by a
band in their prime. The follow-up to 2019’s Vice Versa is a diverse collection of songs that are genre
fluid, there’s a merry mix of punk, hard rock, alternative and sludge rock. Album opener, Alligator is a
high powered introduction to the album the song is the quintessential sound of the Moot’s crown jewel.
Track two is Silence the Screams, an angsty hard rock gem that addresses the frustration of being stuck
in your own head, “Can you silence the Screams” croons Andi. Consolation creates a nice gap between
Silence the Screams and Ever the Optimist, a homage to Punk on which the drummer gives his all. The
song carries over existentialism which seems to be a theme on this album- “I keep sinking in that hole,
maybe I’m losing control” laments Andi on a song most likely to remind you in some ways of The Used.
Mutual is the most Punk sounding song on the album displaying a grit the band possesses. So Sick is
somewhat forgettable in the face of the complete album but reminds one plenty of The Pixies. The
album finishes off with Hue; a grungy ballad that perfectly epitomizes the phrase, “Save the best for
last”. The album shows the ever improving band doing something exception, Alligator a project
produced by the band and Ruff Majik’s Evert Synman is a solid record with very few misses on it.
Rating 8/10
Reviewed by Refiloe Mathelela
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