Before starting Memory Cave as a collaborative project earlier this year, multi-instrumentalist Ryan Rulon had been performing as a solo artist nationwide. In 2014, the Athens-based musician unveiled “Souvenirs,” a dreamy, lo-fi pop single that was released on iTunes and received regular play on Atlanta’s WRAS Album 88.5.

Having paired up with his friend and Grammy Award-winning engineer/producer Jason Kingsland (Kaiser Chiefs, Washed Out, Belle & Sebastian) during the recording process for “Souvenirs,” Rulon decided to employ him again in 2016, but this time under the Memory Cave moniker. In addition to recruiting Kingsland, Rulon also reached out to local synth and programming wizard Zach Pyles of Culture Culture to solidify the core of the project.

Over the course of roughly six minutes, “Sioux Falls” shows Rulon’s prowess as a songwriter, and the aesthetic direction he wants the Memory Cave project to go. The trio intertwine synth-heavy electronic grooves and handclap drums in-between a shared love for ’90s shoegaze and nostalgic R&B cuts. The end result is a lush, pulsing dream pop anthem that retains a stylish but haunting presence, with Rulon’s soothing vocals assuming command over the song’s echoing guitars and narcotic beat.

“As far as track personnel for Sioux Falls, I recorded much of the instrumentation myself but Zach Pyles, Jason Kingsland and I all played on the track,” Rulon explains via email. “Jason’s production credits have given him a great eye for the big picture, so a lot of the little flourishes, including the autoharp and auxiliary percussion, are either him or his coaching. I originally brought in the song as a finished demo, but what came out the other side is definitely a collaborative song between the three of us.”

According to Rulon, Memory Cave’s debut EP will see the light of day sometime this summer. In the meantime, listen to “Sioux Falls” below.

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Web: memorycavemusic.com
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Twitter: @MemoryCave