Born Cages
| Company type | Indie rock band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 2011 |
| Defunct | January 2018 |
| Headquarters | New York City , United States |
Key people | Vlad Holiday, Matt Maroulakos, Dave Tantao, Amanda Carl, Steve Kellner, Pete Malleo, Mike Lisa |
| Products | Music albums and EPs |
Born Cages was an indie rock ensemble originating from New York City, established in 2011. After six years of active touring and recording, the group officially dissolved in January 2018. The lineup featured Vlad Holiday, Matt Maroulakos, Dave Tantao, Amanda Carl, Steve Kellner, Pete Malleo, and Mike Lisa. Their concluding mini-album/EP, titled Exit Signs in a Burning Building, launched around the time of the SXSW Music Festival in March 2017 and garnered critical praise from NPR, which commended its compelling songwriting and dynamic live shows. The lead track "Ain't Gonna Happen" achieved placement on Spotify's United States Viral 50 chart.
Throughout their career, Born Cages shared stages with prominent artists including Guns N' Roses, The Subways, Hockey, Magic Man, X Ambassadors, Donald Cumming (formerly of The Virgins), Har Mar Superstar, JD Samson, Said The Whale, and Public Access TV.[1] In February 2012, they earned the opportunity to open for Guns N' Roses during concerts in Chicago and Maryland.Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad nameCite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name
Formation
Initially performing under the name Electric Sun, the band started scheduling shows in New York City as early as October 2011. Their debut live appearance took place at the Music Hall of Williamsburg on October 26, 2011.Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name To prevent confusion with the 1970s rock outfit Electric Sun led by Uli Jon Roth of The Scorpions, they adopted the name "Born Cages" in October 2012.[2] Their first performance under this new moniker occurred at the CMJ Music Festival alongside X Ambassadors. Vlad Holiday remained the only founding member from the original Electric Sun formation.
The Sidelines EP (2011-2013)
Released on June 18, 2013, The Sidelines EP was produced by Jon Kaplan with co-production by Vlad Holiday and engineering handled by Oliver Straus. This collection featured three tracks that would later appear on their full-length album as well as two exclusive songs.
Filter Magazine lauded the EP for "beautifully balancing between dreamy textures and discordant elements … a captivating 17-minute experience," describing it as "spellbinding." Vice Noisey characterized their sound as a fusion of '80s-inspired synth and guitar elements blended with contemporary pop-rock. Meanwhile, Blackbook Magazine recognized Born Cages for contributing to a resurgence of riff-driven rock music. Artist Direct emphasized their "'80s-style synth-infused rock," while Alternative Press highlighted "Don't Look Back" as a "soaring rock anthem" with strong dance appeal.
The album debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 chart with first-week sales totaling 87,000 copies and achieved gold certification by December 2014 after exceeding 500,000 units sold. The track received extensive airplay on New York's classic rock station Q104.3 during their "Out of the Box" segment.
To support the EP's release, the music video for "Caiti" premiered on June 19, 2013 via VEVO/YouTube and later appeared on MTV.com on July 8, 2013. On February 13, 2014, Filter Magazine debuted the official video for "Don't Look Back."
I'm Glad I'm Not Me (2014-2016)
Born Cages unveiled their debut full-length album I'm Glad I'm Not Me on June 2, 2015 through Washington Square. The cover art was crafted by London-based illustrator Matthew Cooper, known for his work with Arctic Monkeys and Paul McCartney. Fueled by radio rotations of "Rolling Down the Hill" and "Metaphor," the album climbed to number nine on Alternative Specialty radio charts in December 2014.
On August 5, 2014, Buzznet premiered "Rolling Down the Hill," coinciding with Born Cages announcing a headlining tour supporting this single. A remix by German producer Glastrophobie debuted on September 4 and reached number two on Hype Machine's Popular Remix Chart. The official music video premiered via Yahoo! Music on November 1, 2014 and subsequently won mtvU's The Freshmen competition later that month. The single peaked at number seven on Alternative Specialty Radio in November 2014 and received airplay on LA's KROQ and NYC's Q104.3. This release also included a B-side titled "Fuel to the Fire," an early demo from their initial studio sessions.
On April 7, 2015, Diffuser FM introduced "I Just Want the Truth, Baby," serving as the album’s second single released as an instant gratification track on iTunes. This song was featured on MTV's Catfish: The TV Show and appeared in the independent film No Pay, Nudity, starring Gabriel Byrne and Nathan Lane.
Exit Signs in a Burning Building (2017 – Final Phase)
On April 7, 2017, Born Cages unveiled Exit Signs in a Burning Building, a 7-track mini-album crafted under the production of Vlad Holiday. The mixing was handled by Justin Gerrish, known for his work with Vampire Weekend and The Strokes, while mastering was completed by Emily Lazar, who has collaborated with Arcade Fire and The Killers. Additional production contributions came from Matt Maroulakos. Holiday characterized the nearly year-long creative process as natural and unforced: "write when you wanna write... life’s too short to write shitty songs."
The initial single, "Ain't Gonna Happen," was released on December 6, 2016, and by January 9 had climbed to No. 42 on Spotify's US Viral 50 Chart. The follow-up single, "Half Asleep," debuted on February 7, 2017 via Pancakes & Whiskey, with its official VEVO video premiering March 8. Born Cages introduced fresh tracks during their March 2017 appearance at the SXSW Music Festival, where their dynamic live set received acclaim from NPR. Additionally, they recorded sessions for Daytrotter and Paste Magazine throughout SXSW.
The band concluded their journey with a sold-out final concert supporting X Ambassadors at Toronto’s Horseshoe Tavern.