Catfish and the Bottlemen are a
four-piece Welsh indie rock band that formed in Llandudno, North Wales. They
have recently expanded their fan-base since the release of their first album on
the 19th of June in 2014 called ‘The Balcony’. From the start right through to the end of the album I don’t think
that there is one song that I can fault. There is not one single song that I
think lets the band down in any way, shape, or form.
The song that opens up this phenomenal
album is named ‘Homesick’; the guitar is simple at the start and then the drums
start to kick in; once the drums kick in that increases the speed and volume of
the guitar; however the drums tend to overpower the guitar at the beginning.
McCann has harsh vocals throughout but you can feel the indignation in his
voice and the tension build up as it comes to the second chorus
“I said I’m only looking out for you, she said it’s obvious that’s a lie - but I only ever put out for you, you know it’s obvious you don’t try.”
This tells me how McCann obviously only wants this one girl and is doing everything and anything in his power to try and keep her, but she incontestably has somebody else on her mind as she is not concerned whether McCann stays or leaves her.
“I said I’m only looking out for you, she said it’s obvious that’s a lie - but I only ever put out for you, you know it’s obvious you don’t try.”
This tells me how McCann obviously only wants this one girl and is doing everything and anything in his power to try and keep her, but she incontestably has somebody else on her mind as she is not concerned whether McCann stays or leaves her.
'Cocoon' is the most notorious song
off the album and I assume that is due to the change of mood throughout the
song. The drums and guitar introduce the song simultaneously then McCann soon introduces
himself. This song is a lot softer once the instrumental has finished and
McCann starts to sing; as this song is mainly about the more positive side of
love, reminiscing the good times. I think McCann is trying to tell someone to
stand their own grounds as he says...
“fuck it if they talk, fuck it if they try and get to us - cause I’d rather go blind than let you down."
I like it how towards the end of the song the drums and guitar have their own instrumental time and then McCann comes back in again with a soft approach and gradually gets harsher again. However he's not just telling her to stand her grounds he's asking her to understand how he would rather do anything (go blind) than leave her on her own and he just wants her to recognize that.
“fuck it if they talk, fuck it if they try and get to us - cause I’d rather go blind than let you down."
I like it how towards the end of the song the drums and guitar have their own instrumental time and then McCann comes back in again with a soft approach and gradually gets harsher again. However he's not just telling her to stand her grounds he's asking her to understand how he would rather do anything (go blind) than leave her on her own and he just wants her to recognize that.
I’d say that ‘26’ is the most
inconspicuous song on the whole album, and perhaps the underdog? This
enters with sharp drums and guitar. The guitar tones down when McCann joins in
with the vocals; however the drums remain strong. This song keeps you on your
feet the whole time as it does not calm down, or mellow at any point. I think this is due to the constant pace of the drums throughout the song. However the guitar nicely finishes off the song.
'Sidewinder' is another underrated
and unrecognized song off the album. The guitar slowly opens the song before
the drums kick in, then you get that strong, and notorious catfish beat that
gives the band their distinctive edge. The start is different to all of the other
songs because McCann doesn't start to sing until 45 seconds in. When the vocals
do start, they come straight in with McCann’s sharp voice with the line -
“Give me some madness I can get off on.”
This song really does just mainly focus just on the drums and guitar with just two choruses and two verses. People don't realise that this song has a strong meaning to it as McCann says;
“Whoever you're mixing your drinks with is dying to, go to town on you.”
Which evidently shows that a girl who McCann obviously cares about is being used to get drunk and then later goes on to be sexually assaulted/used?
“Give me some madness I can get off on.”
This song really does just mainly focus just on the drums and guitar with just two choruses and two verses. People don't realise that this song has a strong meaning to it as McCann says;
“Whoever you're mixing your drinks with is dying to, go to town on you.”
Which evidently shows that a girl who McCann obviously cares about is being used to get drunk and then later goes on to be sexually assaulted/used?
The vocals remain exceptional
through-out every single song and the drums and guitars performance constantly
remains outstanding from start to finish in every single song too. McCann has a
very distinctive voice and each member of the band has a distinctive sound to
themselves. The guitar is very sharp and strong; likewise so are the
drums. I think that Catfish and the Bottlemen have a serious chance of being
‘the next big thing’ especially since their 2015 tour is nearly all sold out
across America and England. Catfish and the Bottlemen are a very underrated
band, and I’m glad that their fan-base is widely expanding all over the world.
They deserve every single little bit of appreciation and admiration that they
receive!
There will hopefully be a gig review uploaded on the 29th of March as I am attending their gig on
Saturday the 28th of March in Birmingham. So let’s see if their
performance live matches my attitude towards their album – I have high
expectations lads! I would definitely recommend that you give them a listen if you haven't already!
10/10
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