Catfish & The Bottlemen - The Balcony
Catfish and the Bottlemen are an indie rock band, they have recently expanded their fan-base since the release of their first album 'the balcony'. From the start to the finish of the album I don't think that there is one song that I can fault. There isn't one song that I think lets the band down in any way, shape, or form.
On ‘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 overpowers 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 isn't concerned if he 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 opening to the song on the guitar is very strong on this song and the drums follow soon as McCann introduces himself simultaneously. This song is softer throughout as it is more of the 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 use - because 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 doesn't 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 throughout the majority of their songs. The start is different to all of the 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 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 throughout 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 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 are a very underrated band and I’m glad that their fan-base is widely expanding all over the world.
10/10