Wednesday 28 September 2016

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Catfish and the Bottlemen: The Ride - review

The Ride Catfish and the Bottlemen.jpegArtist: Catfish and the Bottlemen
Release Date: 27 May 2016
Genre: Alternative, indie rock




After absolutely adoring their debut album, 'The Balcony', I knew I had to get my hands on 'The Ride' as soon as possible; however, it did actually take me a while to sit down and properly listen to it, which is why this post is very overdue!


Thankfully, Catfish and the Bottlemen came back with the same authentic indie rock that we know and love. The singles '7' and 'Soundcheck' are clearly the winners of the album, with catchy but original progressions, and choruses that are simply perfect to belt out. One thing I love about Catfish is their concise nature - one word track titles, with not a speck of pretentiousness about them.

As ever, the lyricism is stunning. There is a slightly more mournful tone to 'The Ride' than there was with their previous album, but the air of melancholy is wrapped in a soft layer of anger, creating the perfect fusion that is indie rock. The album as an entirety is faultlessly put together, starting with the upbeat, mellowing in the middle, and ending with the extreme whopper that is 'Outside'.

My only criticism with 'The Ride' is that it has an exceedingly similar tone to 'The Balcony'. Whilst it is undeniably a unique and memorable sound as a whole, the similarity of the tracks does mean that they all merge into one, and the only distinctive songs are the singles. However, I have had this issue with numerous albums before, and after a few more listens I am sure that the tracks will begin to separate and establish their own feel.

In conclusion, 'The Ride' by Catfish and the Bottlemen is a pleasure to listen to. With catchy choruses and lugubrious lyrics, the album is in authentic indie style. Whilst the tracks are ultimately very similar in tone and guitar riffs, there are still noticeable developments, particularly in their lyricism. This is an album which I'm sure will accompany me on many a car journey, and I'm thoroughly excited to see what Catfish and the Bottlemen do next.



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