The Cab - Road To Reign: A Prelude
The Cab
Road To Reign: A Prelude
Release Date: September 26th, 2025
Label: Independent
The Cab is one of the most underrated bands to come out of the scene’s early aughts. They were poised for greatness, to become the natural successor to bands like Fall Out Boy and Panic! At The Disco - at one point being taken on tour by the latter. But life happens. For whatever reason, after releasing two stellar albums and embarking on numerous world tours, the Las Vegas act began to see members drop off, eventually leaving only vocalist Alex DeLeon. The Cab went into the dreaded “indefinite hiatus” mode of their career, which essentially means, “yeah, we’re done”.
It gives me great pleasure to be writing about a new EP from The Cab in 2025, just weeks before they’re set to take the stage at the fourth edition of When We Were Young in their hometown. In four short songs, The Cab managed to do what all pop-rock acts dream of doing in four albums: write catchy, powerful, hook-laden tracks that leave a lasting impact. The songwriting duo of DeLeon and Alex Marshall is back in full force, bringing songs to life that sound like a cross between rock and early-2000s pop and R&B. DeLeon’s vocals are some of the best in the scene, always standing out, rivaling those of mainstream pop’s biggest stars.
“Pain” is a hard-hitting opener, the most modern entry of the tracks on the Road To Reign: A Prelude EP. I would label it as the most out of place, if that’s even the proper terminology here, but it catches your attention right off the bat. “Rollercoaster” and “Every Little Lie” pick up right where 2012’s excellent Symphony Soldier left off, delivering immaculate pop vocal production against a dynamic band performance. “Stay This Way Forever” feels like the natural sequel to “Living Louder”, the closing number of Symphony Soldier that finds DeLeon reflecting on what he wants out of life if it’s indeed his last day on Earth. It was a powerful moment hearing that song for the first time, particularly from such a young band. “Stay This Way Forever” is an anthemic closing track that serves as a love letter to the fans who have been by their side since Whisper War began making waves on MySpace in 2008. A line like “We just do it for the kids that are singing from the heart” would sound cliché coming from any other band, yet it works so well for The Cab.
Road To Reign: A Prelude is an excellent return to form for The Cab, and I hope that the words “A Prelude” mean that there’s an album in the future. Let’s actually get these guys headlining arenas this time around, though. Sound good?
