Catfish and the Bottlemen have released their third album, The Balance, and the Welsh band has managed to, once again, deliver an album that is satisfying, nostalgic and full of guitar riffs that do nothing but continue to prove that they’re a major player in the modern alternative music scene.
Catfish and the Bottlemen have excelled at keeping their music true to themselves — when you hear a Catfish and the Bottlemen song, you know it’s a Catfish and the Bottlemen song.
Their unique styling, the isolation of vocals, their refreshing guitar riffs and the constant drum kick throughout their album makes The Balance a successful album.
It’s important to acknowledge the consistency of Catfish and the Bottlemen’s music — nothing about their music is ever shocking and surprising. We never expect to be taken aback because they’ve managed to perfect the sound and take this genre of music for themselves — very few bands can replicate what they’ve done.
Few artists feel allowed to remain the same throughout their careers, but Catfish and the Bottlemen have set a new precedent for others — they don’t feel obligated to change everything about themselves for their fans; people love them for their sound.
So here are our three favorites off of The Balance.
Sidetrack
You’re saying I / Should be everything you want / Now I’m not being sidetracked / By all that’s been asked of me / Yes I’ll be needing the night back / Before I’m feeling the backlash
The buildup is insane — you know that the chorus is going to be full, vibrant, perfect. “Sidetrack” manages to combine the calm, indie vibe in the verses but also captures the head-bopping, heart-thrumming feeling of a great guitar riff under a great chorus.
Encore
And trust me, when gotten right / We’re tenfold, to that same old, plain routine / From night to night / And trust me, it feels like an uproar in encore / When you ask of me / To walk that line
One of the grungier songs off the album, “Encore” feels like a teaser for what their sound could be. Van McCann’s vocals are unique and allow for this song to expand in the chorus — this song grows because of the chorus.
A perfect example of Catfish’s iconic, branded sound, “Encore” is big.
Overlap
Why does it take the eleventh hour / For us to make the easiest of calls? / Rather than decide / This all in a night / I’m good to follow your lead, my love / So I’d take as long as you need
For those who aren’t familiar with previous Catfish albums, the ending comes as a surprise to folks. The band has now ended all three albums with a cut-off song, with this being the first to have the song cut off while McCann is still singing.
“Overlap” is a peak Catfish song; it’s fun, it’s the kind of song you dance along to, it captures the essence of who Catfish are. We can’t even begin to imagine how great this’ll sound live.
Catfish and the Bottlemen are set to begin a very large round of tour dates, make sure you snag some tickets for yourself!
APR 28 GALWAY LEISURELAND GALWAY, REPUBLIC OF IRELAND
APR 30 THE OLYMPIA THEATRE DUBLIN, REPUBLIC OF IRELAND
MAY 02 BRIGHTON CENTRE BRIGHTON, ENGLAND
MAY 04 ERICSSON INDOOR ARENA COVENTRY, ENGLAND
MAY 05 MOTORPOINT ARENA CARDIFF, WALES
MAY 07 FLYDSA ARENA SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND
MAY 08 ARENA MANCHESTER, ENGLAND
MAY 13 LA RIVIERA MADRID, SPAIN
MAY 14 RAZZMATAZZ BARCELONA, SPAIN
MAY 16 ALCATRAZ MILAN, ITALY
MAY 18 HUXLEYS BERLIN, GERMANY
MAY 20 MELKWEG AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS
MAY 26 BBC RADIO 1 BIG WEEKEND MIDDLESBROUGH, UK
JUN 04 EL PLAZA CONDESA MÉXICO, DF, MEXICO
JUN 07 OBC 2019 LAS VEGAS, NV, USA
JUN 11 THE FILLMORE CHARLOTTE, NC, USA =
JUN 12 EGYPTIAN ROOM AT OLD NATIONAL CENTRE INDIANAPOLIS, IN, USA
JUN 14 BONNAROO FESTIVAL MANCHESTER, TN, USA
JUN 15 PIQNIQ CHICAGO, IL, USA
JUN 17 REBEL TORONTO, ON, CANADA
JUN 19 HOUSE OF BLUES BOSTON, MA, USA
JUN 21 ALT BUFFALO’S KERFUFFLE BUFFALO, NY, USA
JUN 22 ALT 92.3 SUMMER OPEN QUEENS, NY, USA
JUN 25 STAGE AE PITTSBURGH, PA, USA
JUN 26 ST. ANDREW’S HALL DETROIT, MI, USA
JUN 28 GOFEST19 ST PAUL, MN, USA
JUN 30 SUMMERFEST FESTIVAL MILWAUKEE, WI, USA
JUL 06 ROSKILDE ROSKILDE, DENMARK
JUL 13 TRNSMT FESTIVAL GLASGOW, SCOTLAND
JUL 14 CITADEL FESTIVAL LONDON, UK
JUL 19 SPIN OFF FESTIVAL ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA
JUL 20 SPLENDOUR IN THE GRASS FESTIVAL BYRON BAY, AUSTRALIA
JUL 22 HORDERN PAVILION SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA
JUL 25 MARGARET COURT ARENA MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA
JUL 28 HBF STADIUM PERTH, AUSTRALIA
AUG 03 INDIE19 FESTIVAL REPUBLIC OF IRELAND
AUG 12 SZIGET FESTIVAL BUDAPEST, HUNGARY
AUG 16 SUMMER SONIC OSAKA, JAPAN
AUG 17 SUMMER SONIC TOKYO, JAPAN
NOV 04 ARENA BIRMINGHAM, UK
NOV 05 UTILITA ARENA NEWCASTLE, UK
NOV 10 M&S BANK ARENA LIVERPOOL, UK
NOV 11 FIRST DIRECT ARENA LEEDS, UK
What are your thoughts on the new Catfish and the Bottlemen album? Tweet us over at @CelebMix with your reaction to our review!
Make sure you follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more updates!