If you haven’t heard of Catfish and the Bottlemen by now, I mean, where’ve you been? Even if you’ve literally been under a rock there’s no excuse. Catfish have been anywhere and everywhere – making it to almost every major radio stations’ playlists including Radio 1, being in Zane Lowe’s Hottest 100 Tracks of the Year and filling their summer with festivals plus UK and USA tours to come. It’s impossible to have missed the hype surrounding Catfish right now, but it’s not unjustified.
‘The Balcony’ begins at the band’s roots, with a new version of their debut single ‘Homesick’. An eerily gentle and quiet section starts the song – almost the calm before the storm. Lead lad Van McCann welcomes you in with his raw and emotive vocals before the song kicks in with immense force and storming lyrics. You can almost hear the immense crowds singing along with the same feelings “I said ‘I’m only looking out for you’, she said ‘It’s obvious that’s a lie’”. Crowds feel perfectly in sync with the band as Catfish and the Bottlemen totally come alive in a live environment.
‘Hourglass’ shows a different side to these rocking lads musically. A soft and acoustic start with uplifting bass lines and sweet harmonies is like nothing they’ve ever done before. Thankfully there’s no change to Catfish’s attitude lyrically – “you know when you’re gone I struggle at night, dreams of you fucking me all the time”. But we also see the softer (and less sexually orientated) side of Van “I’m craving your calls like a soldier’s wife”. Adorable guitar strums and occasional piano melodies come together as the song builds beautifully into a heavenly chorus of voices. A cyclical song as ‘Hourglass’ ends the way it began, just Van and his guitar and some spoken word – “Got it.”
The best thing about Catfish and the Bottlemen is that they haven’t released a bad song. Not even just that, they’re all incredible. Although this is just their debut, there isn’t a single filler track; I’m just shocked at how good every song is. New song ‘26’ is another banger; with early Kaiser Chiefs vibes Van sings of his unrequited love for an older woman as a teen “I can’t believe you’re 26.” Every track is slick but with that gritty guitar edge that’s so rocking and irresistible.
The best songs are still the band’s latest and hottest singles: ‘Kathleen’, ‘Cocoon’ and ‘Fallout’. The first of which has landed them acknowledgement and praise from the one and only Ewan McGregor – these guys are going places. ‘Fallout’ is probably Van McCann’s most honest work to date, there’s no messing around as Van openly shares of his conception as a test tube baby. It’s hard not to be overwhelmed by the passion and vigour in McCann’s vocals. The band have had to deal with a couple of nasty rumours in the last few months, but their heartfelt and honest lyrics simply show there’s not a bad bone to be found.
The album’s closer ‘Tyrants’ is the final spectacular show of what Catfish and the Bottlemen can really do – write incredible songs. As the longest song of the album at a whopping 4 minutes and 39 seconds, Catfish give this last track everything they’ve got. Thrashing guitars and torrential drums burst through when you least expect dramatically contrasting with a soft and gentle riff at other points. ‘Tyrants’ crescendos through to an almost out of control ending, gaining in intensity with every second until all of a sudden, it just stops, cuts out leaving you excited and yearning for more. Catfish certainly leave me craving more incredible tunes and I hope it won’t be too long, they’re simply unstoppable. 10/10. The lids done good.
Elli Brazzill
@littlelionelli
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Elli Brazzill
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