When Black Midi released Schlagenheim in 2019, they introduced themselves as a band unafraid of chaos. That debut was filled with raw energy, unpredictable shifts, and a heavy reliance on improvisation. With their follow-up, Cavalcade, the group takes a different path. This album is more focused and carefully constructed, signaling a clear evolution in their sound.

Instead of building songs through spontaneous jams, the band members—Geordie Greep, Cameron Picton, and Morgan Simpson—worked separately before coming together to refine each track. This method brought a sharper sense of direction to the music while keeping the group’s adventurous spirit intact.

Sonic Exploration

Cavalcade is a rich and unpredictable listening experience, and its production plays a vital role in shaping that journey. The album’s sound is neither overly polished nor lo-fi—it strikes a balance between clarity and texture. Each instrument is given room to breathe, and the mix allows the sharp turns in tempo and tone to shine without feeling overwhelming. This level of precision supports the album’s theatrical atmosphere, enhancing its sense of drama and tension.

Musically, Cavalcade is packed with intricate arrangements that showcase the band’s technical skills and adventurous spirit. Tracks like “John L” erupt with manic energy, where abrasive guitar riffs and rapid-fire drums collide in controlled chaos. In contrast, songs such as “Marlene Dietrich” pull back into more delicate territory, featuring sweeping melodies and almost cinematic pacing. The use of dynamics—both within and between songs—is one of the album’s most striking qualities. Vocals often shift in style and intensity, from Geordie Greep’s theatrical narration to moments of near-whispered introspection.

In terms of genre, Cavalcade resists easy classification. The band pulls from math rock, jazz fusion, progressive rock, avant-garde, and even chamber music. These influences don’t just appear as nods—they are integrated deeply into the album’s structure. Black Midi moves between these styles with confidence, creating a sound that feels constantly in motion. Rather than committing to one identity, Cavalcade thrives in its refusal to settle, making it one of the most genre-fluid albums of its time.

Lyrical Analysis

The lyrics of Cavalcade are as intricate and unpredictable as the music that surrounds them. Rather than settling into straightforward storytelling or personal confession, Black Midi leans into the surreal and the theatrical. Each song feels like a scene from an elaborate play or a strange fable, filled with odd characters, obscure settings, and twisting plots. The album invites listeners into a world that is both fantastical and dark, where meaning is often buried beneath layers of symbolism.

Themes of fame, power, downfall, and transformation thread their way through the record. “John L” introduces a cult-like figure whose influence unravels in chaos, while “Marlene Dietrich” explores the myth of the old Hollywood icon with a tender, nostalgic tone. Elsewhere, songs like “Chondromalacia Patella” and “Ascending Forth” take more abstract turns, diving into philosophical and emotional terrain that resists easy decoding. These lyrics often feel like riddles or theatrical monologues, full of strange metaphors and sudden shifts in tone.

Lyrically, Cavalcade avoids direct emotional cues. Yet its power lies in the mood it conjures and the mental images it evokes. There is a sense of both spectacle and decay, of grandeur undercut by absurdity. The band’s use of language is poetic, but not in a romantic sense—it’s dense, cryptic, and at times unsettling. This ambiguity gives the album an emotional weight that grows with each listen, not through relatability, but through curiosity and unease.

Cohesion and Flow

Despite its sprawling ambition and genre-hopping tendencies, Cavalcade holds together with surprising grace. The album’s sequencing plays a key role in its cohesion, guiding listeners through a series of vivid, self-contained worlds that still feel part of a unified whole. From the explosive opener “John L” to the contemplative closer “Ascending Forth,” the tracklist moves with a deliberate sense of contrast and build. Each song offers something distinct, but the shifts in mood and intensity are carefully managed, creating a sense of movement without disorientation.

Rather than following a linear narrative, Cavalcade builds its cohesion through recurring emotional tones and thematic threads. The feeling of theatrical spectacle—blended with dread, beauty, and dark humor—runs throughout the album. Even the abrupt transitions serve a purpose, reflecting the volatility and unpredictability of the worlds Black Midi creates. Songs like “Slow” and “Diamond Stuff” act as breathing spaces between the more frenetic moments, adding texture and pacing that make the album easier to absorb as a single experience.

Thematically, the album stays grounded in ideas of power, illusion, and transformation, even as the musical settings shift. This consistency, along with the band’s unmistakable sonic fingerprint, keeps the record from feeling disjointed. While it doesn’t follow a conventional arc, Cavalcade achieves cohesion through its commitment to atmosphere and concept. It feels less like a story and more like a series of vivid tableaus—linked by tone, ambition, and a shared artistic vision.

Standout Tracks and Moments

Cavalcade is filled with moments that surprise, challenge, and mesmerize, but a few tracks rise above the rest as defining pieces of the album’s vision.

John L

“John L” kicks off the record with a jarring blast of energy. It’s a whirlwind of jagged guitar riffs, staccato rhythms, and cryptic vocal delivery that sets the tone for the album’s off-kilter theatricality. The way the track spirals into chaos, then abruptly collapses, mirrors the downfall of the cult figure it describes—a perfect fusion of form and content.

Marlene Dietrich

“Marlene Dietrich” offers a striking contrast. It stands out for its restraint and elegance, delivering a haunting, slow-burning ballad wrapped in romantic nostalgia. The lush instrumentation and sweeping melody showcase a different side of the band, proving they can be just as compelling when they dial back the noise. This track also offers one of the album’s most emotionally resonant moments, drawing from classic songwriting traditions while bending them into Black Midi’s unique style.

Chondromalacia Patella

“Chondromalacia Patella” shines as a centerpiece, where shifting tempos and unpredictable transitions demonstrate the band’s technical agility. The interplay between instruments—particularly the drums and bass—is both complex and thrilling, making it one of the album’s most musically ambitious tracks.

Artistic Contribution and Innovation

In a musical landscape often driven by predictability and genre conformity, Cavalcade stands as a bold statement of artistic defiance. Within the realm of experimental rock, Black Midi has carved out a space that feels entirely their own. While they draw on elements of prog, jazz, noise, and classical music, they never settle into one mode for long. Instead, they use these influences as raw material, reshaping them into something that feels both alien and exhilarating.

Cavalcade doesn’t just flirt with boundary-pushing ideas—it thrives on them. The album’s structure, sound design, and lyrical scope all suggest a band uninterested in fitting neatly into any existing category. Black Midi approaches genre more like a toolkit than a label, using whatever sound or style best serves the dramatic moment. This fearless blending of forms marks a clear evolution from their debut, signaling a more refined yet still adventurous artistic voice.

One of the album’s most innovative traits is its embrace of theatricality. While many bands explore concept-driven music, few do so with the same level of commitment to performance and narrative form. Black Midi treats each track as a stage, each vocal as a character, and each instrumental break as a shift in scenery. The result is a record that feels less like a collection of songs and more like a multi-act play rendered in sound.

Closing Thoughts

Cavalcade is a daring, complex, and often breathtaking album that solidifies Black Midi’s place as one of the most inventive bands of their generation. Its strengths lie in its fearless exploration of sound, its richly layered arrangements, and its commitment to theatrical storytelling. Each track offers something distinct, yet together they form a vivid and cohesive vision that feels both meticulous and alive.

The album isn’t without its challenges. Its density and unpredictability can be overwhelming, especially for those new to Black Midi’s world. Some listeners may find its abstract lyrics and sharp stylistic shifts difficult to connect with on an emotional level. But these are calculated risks—ones that speak to the band’s refusal to compromise their creative identity.

By pushing the limits of rock and reshaping genre expectations, Cavalcade leaves a lasting impression. It’s a record that rewards patience and repeat listens, revealing new details and layers each time. For Black Midi, it marks not just a follow-up to their debut, but a leap forward in both ambition and artistry.

Official Rating: 8/10

This score reflects the album’s bold vision and technical brilliance, balanced against its occasional inaccessibility. Cavalcade is not an easy listen—but it’s a rewarding one, and a significant chapter in the ongoing evolution of modern experimental music.