Biography
Cold Cave, the endeavor led by Wes Eisold, blends darkwave textures with synth-pop melodies that shift between raw urgency and tender optimism, sometimes inside one track. That interplay of extremes surfaced most directly through the project's initial singles and the 2009 debut album Love Comes Close, where Eisold's resonant baritone met abrasive electronics in emotionally charged pieces that positioned Cold Cave at the center of the darkwave resurgence marking the early 2000s. The 2011 release Cherish the Light Years expanded the sound into sweeping, arena-scale anthems while preserving the independent spirit that had defined the work from the start. Subsequent singles, many later gathered on 2014's Full Cold Moon, along with the EPs You & Me & Infinity in 2018 and Fate in Seven Lessons in 2021, demonstrated an unbroken dedication to introspective yet dance-driven material.
Eisold, previously frontman for the hardcore acts Some Girls and Give Up the Ghost as well as the more synth-oriented projects XO Skeletons and Ye Olde Maids, launched Cold Cave during 2007. Unable to play guitar because he was born without his left hand, he turned more fully toward electronics and began exploring vintage synthesizers alongside effects pedals. The limited run of 100 cassettes titled Coma Potion appeared in 2008 on his own imprint Heartworm Press. Later that same year he put out two EPs, The Trees Grew Emotions and Died on Dais plus Painted Nails on Hospital. Output remained prolific throughout 2009, encompassing the singles Etsel & Ruby, The Laurels, and Death Comes Close, the short-run cassettes Electronic Dreams and Stars Explode, and the anthology Cremations, all preceding the official debut Love Comes Close on Matador Records that November. Several tracks featured Hatebreed's Sean Martin handling guitar and bass, and the album earned praise for its unfiltered, fervent approach to darkwave and synth pop. Cold Cave also performed at that year's No Fun Festival alongside former Xiu Xiu member Caralee McElroy, Prurient's Dominick Fernow, and Heartworm Press co-manager Max G. Morton.
In the year that followed, Cold Cave delivered the Life Magazine Remixes EP and the limited cassette New Morale Leadership. The more ambitious and refined Cherish the Light Years of April 2011 brought further input from Fernow, keyboardist and vocalist Jennifer Clavin, Yeah Yeah Yeahs guitarist Nick Zinner, and former Chavez member Matt Sweeney on bass. That July the band supplied a remix of Belle and Sebastian's "I Didn't See It Coming" for the Come On Sister single. After parting ways with Matador, Eisold adopted a fully independent route for recording and releasing music, issuing Cold Cave singles and EPs through Heartworm and Deathwish Inc. that began with October 2012's "A Little Death to Laugh." Vocalist, photographer, and designer Amy Lee became part of the lineup that year. Four further singles arrived in 2013—"Oceans with No End," "God Made the World," "Black Boots," and the digital-only "Nausea, the Earth and Me"—which Heartworm later compiled on 2014's Full Cold Moon. Cold Cave also joined Nine Inch Nails on tour and contributed a remix of "Running" to the Seed Eight EP. Additional collaboration with Genesis P-Orridge and Black Rain produced the limited cassette Rebellion Is Over, sold at the artists' July 2015 Brooklyn concert.
Throughout the latter half of the 2010s Cold Cave maintained a consistent schedule of singles and performances alongside sympathetic acts. The 2016 singles "Nothing Is True But You" in February and "The Idea of Love" in August preceded a tour with TR/ST. September of the following year brought "Glory" ahead of opening dates on the Jesus & Mary Chain's European run, while 2018 saw the April EP You & Me & Infinity and shows supporting Choir Boy and Black Marble. Early in 2019 Eisold and Lee marked the tenth anniversary of Love Comes Close with two sold-out concerts at Hollywood Forever Cemetery and issued the single "Promised Land." That track and April 2021's "Night Light" offered initial previews of the Fate in Seven Lessons EP, which surfaced that June.
Eisold, previously frontman for the hardcore acts Some Girls and Give Up the Ghost as well as the more synth-oriented projects XO Skeletons and Ye Olde Maids, launched Cold Cave during 2007. Unable to play guitar because he was born without his left hand, he turned more fully toward electronics and began exploring vintage synthesizers alongside effects pedals. The limited run of 100 cassettes titled Coma Potion appeared in 2008 on his own imprint Heartworm Press. Later that same year he put out two EPs, The Trees Grew Emotions and Died on Dais plus Painted Nails on Hospital. Output remained prolific throughout 2009, encompassing the singles Etsel & Ruby, The Laurels, and Death Comes Close, the short-run cassettes Electronic Dreams and Stars Explode, and the anthology Cremations, all preceding the official debut Love Comes Close on Matador Records that November. Several tracks featured Hatebreed's Sean Martin handling guitar and bass, and the album earned praise for its unfiltered, fervent approach to darkwave and synth pop. Cold Cave also performed at that year's No Fun Festival alongside former Xiu Xiu member Caralee McElroy, Prurient's Dominick Fernow, and Heartworm Press co-manager Max G. Morton.
In the year that followed, Cold Cave delivered the Life Magazine Remixes EP and the limited cassette New Morale Leadership. The more ambitious and refined Cherish the Light Years of April 2011 brought further input from Fernow, keyboardist and vocalist Jennifer Clavin, Yeah Yeah Yeahs guitarist Nick Zinner, and former Chavez member Matt Sweeney on bass. That July the band supplied a remix of Belle and Sebastian's "I Didn't See It Coming" for the Come On Sister single. After parting ways with Matador, Eisold adopted a fully independent route for recording and releasing music, issuing Cold Cave singles and EPs through Heartworm and Deathwish Inc. that began with October 2012's "A Little Death to Laugh." Vocalist, photographer, and designer Amy Lee became part of the lineup that year. Four further singles arrived in 2013—"Oceans with No End," "God Made the World," "Black Boots," and the digital-only "Nausea, the Earth and Me"—which Heartworm later compiled on 2014's Full Cold Moon. Cold Cave also joined Nine Inch Nails on tour and contributed a remix of "Running" to the Seed Eight EP. Additional collaboration with Genesis P-Orridge and Black Rain produced the limited cassette Rebellion Is Over, sold at the artists' July 2015 Brooklyn concert.
Throughout the latter half of the 2010s Cold Cave maintained a consistent schedule of singles and performances alongside sympathetic acts. The 2016 singles "Nothing Is True But You" in February and "The Idea of Love" in August preceded a tour with TR/ST. September of the following year brought "Glory" ahead of opening dates on the Jesus & Mary Chain's European run, while 2018 saw the April EP You & Me & Infinity and shows supporting Choir Boy and Black Marble. Early in 2019 Eisold and Lee marked the tenth anniversary of Love Comes Close with two sold-out concerts at Hollywood Forever Cemetery and issued the single "Promised Land." That track and April 2021's "Night Light" offered initial previews of the Fate in Seven Lessons EP, which surfaced that June.
Albums
