Cauley's nirvana is a Sonic noise

Chris Cauley has hit on his formula.

"I'm a big noise-rock guy -- I love Sonic Youth," says the Patchogue singer-songwriter. "So much of what I do is trying to fuse elements that I love from Sonic Youth with the elements I love from Nirvana. It's kind of a loose combination and I try to keep everything song-based. But I do what I can to pull these things together."

That combination works on Cauley's new EP, "Girl," which finds him cranking everything up a bit.

The title track has the biggest Sonic Youth influence, with its roaring guitar opening and deadpan vocal delivery. It's catchy, but not forced.

On the driving "I Blame You," he mixes together Guided by Voices, Pere Ubu and Peter Gabriel to create a jittery, pretty argument that gets angrier as the song goes on. "Underwater" calls to mind the late-'80s heyday of college rock, where roaring guitars and sleek synthesizers could happily coexist.

They go together well in Cauley's music since he plays every note on "Girl," though he did turn to Dan Malloy to mix the EP, giving it a heavier sound than his debut EP, "Stirrings."

Cauley says the sound has continued to evolve as he and his band play it each week at Fadeley's Deli Pub in Patchogue, where he has started a residency on Mondays.

"It's a cool little pub," Cauley says. "It's unpolished. It's got a bit of a CBGB vibe. Playing every week brings different things out in the music. There's something that happens when you're working for an audience."

Chris Cauley plays Fadeley's Deli Pub, 422 W. Main St., Patchogue, 631-758-8882, Mondays at 8 p.m. Admission is free.

Contact The Long Island Sound at glenn.gamboa@newsday.com or follow @ndmusic on Twitter.