Catfish and the Bottlemen - The Balcony | Album Reviews
Although The Balcony has been out in the UK since mid last year, it was just released on January 6th in the USA. Upon my first listen of the album, I just knew that I'd found something special. I first stumbled upon this band like I stumbled upon all of the others I've written articles about: I liked a band who liked a band who tweeted about a band that they liked called Catfish and the Bottlemen (which might just be the best band name EVER, if I'm being honest). The Balcony is the kind of album that I'm damn proud to have fallen in love with, one that I'm excited to show my uncle (and trust me, not a lot of albums pass that test).
Some stand-out tracks that you should be sure to listen to include:
"Kathleen" -- This song was the one of the album's very first singles, so naturally, it's one of the best songs on the album as a whole. This song was good enough to be Zane Lowe's "Hottest Record in the World," and that's an accomplishment that shouldn't be taken lightly. "Kathleen" is a song that's easy to sing along to, and the rough-sounding vocals in the chorus make the song pleasing to the ears. This song definitely made a great single. And being produced by Jim Abbiss (who's worked with Arctic Monkeys and Adele) certainly didn't hurt.
"Fallout" -- "Fallout" is my personal favorite song on the album. Van McCann's vocals/some parts of the song itself remind me slightly of Coldplay, but that might just be me. "Fallout" is just as fun as its music video makes it seem. It's definitely a track that makes you want to boogie, especially during the last minute (the guitar part and melody here are particularly groovy).
"Hourglass" -- Catfish and the Bottlemen slow it down on this track, making it different than every other track on this album. If you're looking for a song with lyrics that tug at your heartstrings a little, this would be the song for you. Some of my favorite lyrics include "I'm craving your call like a soldier's wife" and "I'm so impatient when you're not mine."
"Business" -- "Business" as a whole makes it abundantly clear that Catfish and the Bottlemen know how to write a catchy chorus and guitar riff. This is important in any genre of music, and the band has definitely mastered the art of writing a hit. It's tracks like this that would make Catfish and the Bottlemen a shoo-in in my top 5 releases of 2015 list, and it's only January.
Check out my favorite track, "Fallout," below, and be sure to buy The Balcony on iTunes!
https://soundcloud.com/catfishandthebottlemen/fallout-2