sun 08/12/2024

CD: Catfish and the Bottlemen - The Balance | reviews, news & interviews

CD: Catfish and the Bottlemen - The Balance

CD: Catfish and the Bottlemen - The Balance

Manufactured rock at its blandest

Catfish and the Bottlemen - offbeat name, mainstream music

Indie-rock sure ain't what it used to be. These days boys-with-guitars sound no less manufactured than actual boy bands. And, of all these generic outfits, few appear to have less musical substance than Welsh four-piece Catfish and the Bottlemen.

The Balance, the Llandudno bands' third LP, is pure indie-by-numbers. It's full of chugging guitars with angsty vocals sung in a regional accent. Occasionally everything goes quiet before bursting into a massive chorus. It's as the band has sat down and tried to recreate the essence of Kasabian and Arctic Monkeys.

The problem is more than just going heavy on the influences. It's what's happened to the band's own musical personality. This is now so dilute it's practically homeopathic. The boys have sacrificed every ounce of character on the altar of radio-friendliness. What's left is a non-offensive musical product masquerading as something gritty.

Half the songs sound like any number of other bands, the others just sound the same. They have similar one-word titles, the same rhythms, and lyrics that sound like they mean something but don't. The only real outlier is an atmospheric little number called "Intermission", which also has the added advantage of being mercifully short.

The best track - although it's all relative - is "2All". The song manages to rise above the others by attempting the exuberance of their earlier hit "Kathleen". It's formulaic of course - simple verses building up to invigorating choruses - but pretty well executed. It reminds you why Catfish rose to prominence in the first place. There used to be a lightness to Van McCann's anthems. Now that's more or less gone, there little left to enjoy


@russcoffey

 Overleaf: Catfish and the Bottlemen's video for "2All"

Indie-rock sure ain't what it used to be. These days boys-with-guitars sound no less manufactured than actual boy bands. And, of all these generic outfits, few appear to have less musical substance than Welsh four-piece Catfish and the Bottlemen.

The Balance, the Llandudno bands' third LP, is pure indie-by-numbers. It's full of chugging guitars with angsty vocals sung in a regional accent. Occasionally everything goes quiet before bursting into a massive chorus. It's as the band has sat down and tried to recreate the essence of Kasabian and Arctic Monkeys.

The problem is more than just going heavy on the influences. It's what's happened to the band's own musical personality. This is now so dilute it's practically homeopathic. The boys have sacrificed every ounce of character on the altar of radio-friendliness. What's left is a non-offensive musical product masquerading as something gritty.

Half the songs sound like any number of other bands, the others just sound the same. They have similar one-word titles, the same rhythms, and lyrics that sound like they mean something but don't. The only real outlier is an atmospheric little number called "Intermission", which also has the added advantage of being mercifully short.

The best track - although it's all relative - is "2All". The song manages to rise above the others by attempting the exuberance of their earlier hit "Kathleen". It's formulaic of course - simple verses building up to invigorating choruses - but pretty well executed. It reminds you why Catfish rose to prominence in the first place. There used to be a lightness to Van McCann's anthems. Now that's more or less gone, there little left to enjoy


@russcoffey

 Overleaf: Catfish and the Bottlemen's video for "2All"

Add comment

The future of Arts Journalism

 

You can stop theartsdesk.com closing!

We urgently need financing to survive. Our fundraising drive has thus far raised £33,000 but we need to reach £100,000 or we will be forced to close. Please contribute here: https://gofund.me/c3f6033d

And if you can forward this information to anyone who might assist, we’d be grateful.

Subscribe to theartsdesk.com

Thank you for continuing to read our work on theartsdesk.com. For unlimited access to every article in its entirety, including our archive of more than 15,000 pieces, we're asking for £5 per month or £40 per year. We feel it's a very good deal, and hope you do too.

To take a subscription now simply click here.

And if you're looking for that extra gift for a friend or family member, why not treat them to a theartsdesk.com gift subscription?

newsletter

Get a weekly digest of our critical highlights in your inbox each Thursday!

Simply enter your email address in the box below

View previous newsletters