You Should Be Listening to Lung

*Daisy Caplan (drums) and Kate Wakefield (Photo via Mad Indie Media*)

I was wandering through Everybody’s Records in Cincinnati back in 2019, looking for something new. Lucky for me, I was pointed in the right direction.

I make a habit of asking store employees about local bands. I can buy a Miles Davis record anywhere. Every town is proud of its talent. I was bound to find something here.

Sure enough, the employee (who found me wandering through the vinyl) grabbed an LP and handed it to me. The band was called Lung. The album was called All the King’s Horses.

I don’t like for employees to tell me a lot about records. I don’t want to go into the music with any kind of preconceived expectations. I want to let whatever happens just happen. Even if the clerk had thoroughly described Lung, I don’t think I would have been ready for it.

The entire band consists of just two people. Kate Wakfield plays an electrified cello and sings. Daisy Caplan plays drums. What poured out of my speakers was punk-ified classical metal. Or something like that.

Whatever you want to call it, I was an instant fan. A new door had been opened, and I was strolling right through it. I was amazed by what I was hearing!

The cello was heavy, distorted, and fed back from time to time. Kate’s voice was angelic (no doubt due to her classical training). Daisy pounded his drums (complete with uniquely shaped toms that captured my attention when I finally saw them) like they owed him money.

No other instrumentation was needed. Kate and Daisy more than filled the allotted space.

The songs on Horses were quick and tight, reflecting that punk attitude. I also tend not to read the song lists on records from new bands or live albums. I liked to be surprised. And was I ever surprised to see that Lung was covering David Bowie’s “I’m Afraid of Americans.” I’m always a bit leery when my favorite songs are covered. But this I loved! The simple arrangement was heavy as hell! And hearing a female voice handle the tune was the twist I didn’t know I needed.

Better still, I knew I didn’t need the cover tune to enjoy Lung’s album. Songs like “Horsebath” were doing more than enough to carry the day. It would seem I’d found a new band to take a deep dive into. The musical OCD kicked in, and I needed to hear everything, see them live, and interview them.

Missions accomplished. I spent a very pleasant hour talking with Kate and Daisy for my YouTube channel. They were every bit as pleasant as people as ever were exciting with their music. A few months later, I caught Lung live in what might have been the most dimly lit DIY venues in Chicago. Photography was a nightmare, but the music was sublime.

Given Lung’s relative youth as a band (their first recording, Bottom of the Barrell, was released in 2017), they have a rather impressive output consisting of five full-length albums and two “split” releases, where they share an LP with another band. Wakefield also has an extensive solo catalog, which (along with Lung) can be found on Bandcamp.

Do I have a favorite album? Not really. Each album is a step forward in Lung’s evolution. I find it best to enjoy the experience that led to an album like Come Clean Right Now, which (kind of) prepares me for the next step, like Let It Be Gone. Still, a song like “Sorry” might jump up and bite me a little harder than others, but it’s all dynamic and worth checking out.

As I write these words, I’m less than two weeks from my next live Lung experience, and I’m really looking forward to it. I just hope the lighting is a little better. Regardless, it should be a great time. Hopefully, I can spend a minute or two chatting with Kate and Daisy again. We all need positive contact, and these two provide a prime source.