Notice I didn't use a witty song lyrics or something as the post title. That's because this band's name speaks for them and it speaks loudly!
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| Picture from Facebook. |
Catfish and the Bottlemen are four guys from Wales (the UK provides some of the best bands of boys- not boy bands, mind you): Ryan "Van" McCann (lead singer), Johnny Bond (lead guitar), Benji Blakeway (bass guitar) and Bob Hall ( he plays drums. Got such a normal name after the rest). The music they make is easily classed as alternative (at least, what alternative sounds like now) with elements of rock and post-punk.
The band name (I just had to put this in here) has a chain of events leading up to it, but basically, Van was a little boy watching a busker called Catfish the Bottleman.
They've been a band since 2010 with changes in members here and there. They signed to Communion Records in 2013 and released the singles 'Homesick' (my favourite track) and 'Rango' from what would be their debut album, The Balcony, released on the 12th of September last year. Also, Rolling Stone has their eye on them (their good eye) and there's this DJ that really likes them too.
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| The Balcony |
The Balcony is a good, solid debut album and the fact that they haven't been around as long as some other bands does not show at all. Their sound is professional (Van's voice has been compared to that of The Kooks' frontman, Luke Pritchard). The album is said to draw heavily on Van's life (he was a last-resort IVF baby) for inspiration and the cover art for some of the songs makes it sort of obvious in that respect. They're not one for subtlety, they go outright with their lyrics and I love it.
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| Cover art for Rango |
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| Cover art for Pacifier |
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| Cover art for Homesick |
They have also garnered a reputation as an amazing live band and the YouTube videos I've watched cement the fact. So go see them if you're anywhere near where they're playing next. Also, their album was produced by Jim Abbiss who has worked with Arctic Monkeys and is apparently quite well known for that (as he should be), so you should be assured.
Essentially, you should download the album. It is crazy good, perfect for fans of George Ezra, Drowners, Royal Blood and Atlas Genius. Listen to the first minute and a half of the song 'Fallout' in the Song of the Day tab.
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