Before their next album, Cave In began experimenting with their sound with Creative Eclipses, a five-song EP which indicated a new space rock direction. Their next album was Jupiter, released in 2000. The album received a good deal of press including a feature in Spin Magazine, in which they were described as an "emo-metal Radiohead," which Cave In would reject. The album also caught the attention of major labels who began courting the band after its release. The band released the six-song EP Tides of Tomorrow on Hydra Head Records before accepting a deal from RCA Records.
In 2003, Cave In released their major debut album Antenna. It had more success than their previous albums and earned them a spot on the second stage of 2003's Lollapalooza tour. After Lollapalooza, they toured Europe in support of Foo Fighters and Muse. Shortly after, the band began to revisit their metal roots during concerts, and new heavy material led to a mutual agreement to cut ties with RCA Records. Cave In returned to Hydra Head Records and released Perfect Pitch Black on September 13, 2005.
Following the release of Perfect Pitch Black, Conners departed from the band due to an injury and temporarily relocating to Germany. He was replaced by Converge drummer Ben Koller. In November of 2006, Cave In announced an indefinite hiatus.
In April of 2009, Cave In announced that they had ended their hiatus. With Conners back in the band, they had recorded a four-song EP titled Planets of Old which was initially made available on vinyl at their reunion show on July 19, 2009 at Great Scott in Allston, MA. The EP was released on CD in January 2010 with a bonus DVD of the show. The band released their fifth album White Silence on May 24, 2011.
After tours in support of White Silence, Cave In entered an undeclared semi-hiatus state as all of the band members shifted focus on their other respective side-projects. Brodsky had moved to New York City and formed Mutoid Man with Ben Koller and bassist Nick Cageao, Conners and McGrath had formed Nomad Stones, and Scofield was a member of Old Man Gloom and his own band Zozobra. On December 7, 2014, they performed live for the first time in 3 years, opening for Doomriders' tenth anniversary show. They wouldn't begin formally writing new material until February 2018.
On March 28, 2018, Caleb Scofield was killed in a car accident in Bedford, New Hampshire, on his way home from jamming with Cave In in their Boston rehearsal space. The band then put the new album on hold in favor of touring in honor of him, his wife, and their two children. Major memorial performances included a Boston show with Converge, a Los Angeles show with a one-off reunion of Isis, and an acoustic performance with Brodsky and McGrath at that year's Jacob Bannon-curated Roadburn Festival. This set was recorded and released as Live at Roadburn 2018: Tribute to Caleb Scofield.
On January 2, 2019, Cave In announced plans to release their first studio album in eight years. This album was released as Final Transmission on June 7, 2019 through Hydra Head Records. Mixed by Andrew Schneider, mastered by James Plotkin, and with artwork by Aaron Turner, it consists of practice-space demos featuring Scofield on every song. Hydra Head has been mostly inactive since 2012 but, as the band's main home for the majority of its career, they worked together to release this album. Half of the proceeds will be given to his wife and children.
Rubber and Glue
Cave In Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She had a lot to say and stuck it to my brain
She is recovered and I am screwed
She had a lot to say and I'll take it to my grave
If I could make all of my words count
I'd ditch numbers altogether for sure
Voice reversed yelling a curse
Over and over and over again
She had a lot to say
Came by to water my flower bed
Oh what a big mistake, it rains here everyday
Damage-needle pinned to red
She had a lot to say and I'll take it to my grave
If I could make all of my words count
I'd ditch numbers altogether for sure
Voice reversed yelling a curse
Towards the way-back of my skull
Over and over and over again
This is more side effect than I expect
That boy is so glum
This is more side effect inside this wreck
That boy is so numb
If I could make all of my words count
I'd ditch numbers altogether for sure
Voice reversed yelling a curse
Towards the way-back of my skull
Over and over and over again
She had a lot to say, to say
She had a lot to say, to say
Say, she had a lot to say
The lyrics of this song seem to be about the aftermath of a relationship that went sour. The singer compares himself to rubber and his former partner to glue, suggesting that she was able to stick her opinions and emotions to him like glue. He is still affected by her words and actions, even though she has moved on and recovered from the relationship. The idea of his brain being stuck with her words and thoughts is emphasized when he talks about a voice reversed and yelling a curse towards the back of his skull. He is haunted by her words and actions, and it seems he is unable to let go of the hurt that she caused him.
The second part of the song seems to be a reflection of the aftermath of their relationship. The singer regrets not being able to express himself better, and how he wishes he could have made all his words count. He then goes on to describe how his ex-partner came to his house, possibly to reconcile or apologize, but instead causes damage to his life. This may suggest that her presence triggers bad memories and cause him emotional pain. Towards the end, the singer describes how he is still affected by the relationship and how he feels that he is stuck in a wreck with no hope of recovery.
Overall, the song seems to be about how difficult it is to let go of a hurtful relationship, and how even if the other person moves on, the pain can still linger on the other party involved.
Line by Line Meaning
She's rubber and I am glue
She has the ability to deflect negative feedback, while I easily absorb any criticism directed towards me.
She had a lot to say and stuck it to my brain
She had a lot of significant things to communicate, which I took to heart and internalized deeply.
She is recovered and I am screwed
She has moved beyond whatever issue we had, while I am still negatively affected by it.
She had a lot to say and I'll take it to my grave
Even though she may have moved on, her words impacted me so much that I will always remember them.
If I could make all of my words count
If my words had significant impact, I would choose them more carefully and intentionally.
I'd ditch numbers altogether for sure
I would prioritize meaningful communication over statistical analysis.
Voice reversed yelling a curse
I am so frustrated that I want to yell obscenities backwards.
Towards the way-back of my skull
I feel like my anger and stress is physically impacting my brain and causing pain.
Over and over and over again
I am constantly plagued by these negative thoughts and emotions.
Came by to water my flower bed
She came into my life with good intentions, but ultimately caused damage.
Oh what a big mistake, it rains here every day
It was foolish to think that my life would suddenly become better just because someone entered it - in reality, I am still stuck in my struggles.
Damage-needle pinned to red
The impact of her words and actions was so extreme, it caused significant damage to me.
This is more side effect than I expect
This situation is affecting me in more ways than I anticipated.
That boy is so glum
I feel incredibly down and unhappy.
This is more side effect inside this wreck
I am experiencing a lot of negative consequences as a result of this situation.
That boy is so numb
I feel detached from my emotions and am struggling to cope.
She had a lot to say, to say
Her words were impactful and significant, and I cannot forget them.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: STEPHEN BRODSKY, JOHN ROBERT CONNERS, ADAM MARC MCGRATH, CALEB MARK SCOFIELD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind