Caustic Waves is a fresh artist on the scene, at least in name, having been formed in March 2022. Caustic Waves is the brainchild of Neil Thomas, who is a full-time software engineer by day and music producer at night. While chasing his aspirations, Neil is also the father of two young ones. His latest project Caustic Waves is off to a hot start, having released four songs! Caustic Waves is now Neil’s passion project, with over twenty years of experience in music. The genre of his project captures alternative metal mixed with post-hardcore. Caustic Waves launched with their debut single ‘Regenerate’, followed up with the release of ‘Invisible Enemy’, and ‘Idiocracy’. Caustic Waves has received airtime over multiple radio outlets such as EGH Radio, ERB Radio, and Amazing Radio. Keeping a persistent pace, Caustic Waves has just released his fourth song of the year, ‘Evolution’! The song is driven by catchy songwriting, anthemic breakdown, and relatable lyrics. Lyrically, ‘Evolution’ tackles getting rid of negative forces in your life to better yourself. Caustic Waves has more music planned for the near future with an EP in mind, and he’s just getting started. What I like the most about Caustic Waves is their free-forming style and creativity. You can hear the heart behind the music.
We were able to speak with Neil about his project, and what the future may hold:
Tell us about your new song, and the process you went through to write it?:
Neil: ‘Evolution’ was one of the first songs I wrote for Caustic Waves. I was just jamming out some riffs and came up with the stop-start rhythm of the verse. I’m a big Helmet fan, and the groove reminded me of them. The rest of the music came together pretty quickly after that, and I recorded an instrumental demo. I then worked out the melody and eventually sat down to write lyrics. At that time, I hadn’t written lyrics in quite a while, so it took me a bit of time to find my feet again. Lyrically, the song is about leaving behind negativity and moving forward in life, and evolving into the best version of yourself.
What made you inspired to create music?:
Neil: My previous band had gone on hiatus when the songwriter/frontman emigrated to Texas. We had been working on an album, but it was left unfinished for quite a while. I decided to start working away on completing the album, and this rekindled my interest in the music production side of things. I then felt the urge to start writing my own songs again – really just so I could have another music production project to work on. I started playing around with riffs and ideas, and before long the songs started to come together. When I had 6 songs ready, I started working on recording the album in my home studio. I work full time and have 2 young children, so it was quite a long process, slowly chipping away at it in the evenings. I also spent a lot of time learning more about mixing and improving my skills, so I could properly mix the album myself.
Are there any plans for the future for Caustic Waves?:
‘Evolution’ is the 4th single I’ve released, and I’ll be releasing 2 more singles over the next few months. The final single will coincide with the album, which will be the complete collection of the 6 singles. I’m also looking forward to writing some new music!
How long have you been making music?:
I first started dabbling with songwriting when I was about 19. I recorded some incredibly cringey demos, and with lots of practice I eventually managed to get a little bit better at it. I then started playing in bands – the alternative metal band Keitel, and later the harmony-driven pop/rock band, The Chinaskis. When I started writing for Caustic Waves, I drew on my experiences from playing in both of those bands. Musically, Caustic Waves is quite similar to Keitel, with both being influenced by late-90s / early-00s alternative metal and post-hardcore bands. With The Chinaskis, there was a big focus on strong melodies and 3-part harmonies, so I also took inspiration from that. I spent a lot of time tracking vocals on the Caustic Waves album, and each song has lead vocals backed by layers of harmonies. For the middle section of ‘Evolution’, I wanted to do a Biffy Clyro style singalong “woah” kinda thing, which was a LOT of tracks and really fun to record. I actually got my kids Jamie and Charlie to record some tracks too! They’re blended in quite low in the mix, but they’re just loud enough to hear them if you know what you to listen for!
Tell us about your favorite experience writing music, and the track you’re the proudest of:
I actually did an interesting project throughout 2010, where I set myself the challenge of writing and recording a new instrumental song each week throughout the year. Every week was different, and I got to experiment with a whole pile of different genres, sounds and ideas. It was definitely a challenge to keep it going throughout the year, but I had a lot of fun doing it and managed to record 52 tracks. It was also great experience from a music production point of view, and it definitely helped improve my skills. I think the track I’m most proud is ‘Regenerate’, which was the first Caustic Waves single. I think it really encapsulates everything Caustic Waves is about – big loud guitars with melodic vocals, and lots of harmonies. It has the late-90s/early-00s vibe that has become the signature of Caustic Waves, influenced by all the bands I fell in love with during my formative years as a teenager.
Check out Caustic Waves’ latest song ‘Evolution‘ below!
