The messy-haired, leather-clad Welsh lads of Britain’s newest breakthrough rock band Catfish and the Bottlemen have been making waves both home and abroad with the release of their sophomore album, “The Ride,” back in May of 2016.
Within the first month of its release, the record found itself at the top of the Official UK Charts, surpassing the success of the boys’ debut album, “The Balcony,” in 2014.
“We’re going to be massive and take over the world,” said frontman Van McCann in a 2015 interview with BBC Radio 1’s Annie Mac in anticipation of the album’s release. “We’re bigger than the Beatles!”
The 11-track album features tunes such as “Outside” and “Soundcheck,” tracks McCann described as “songs that people will want to hear” in an interview with the Rolling Stone’s Reed Fischer.
The 24-year-old Cheshire frontman fills each and every lyric with a passion we have not seen since the likes of Oasis or The Cure. The band is sweeping across the nation in a fervent attempt to revitalize rock music with the heart-pounding power of lead guitarist Johnny Bond’s energizing solos and the familiar sound of McCann’s raspy vocals.
Despite the album’s musical sound that dedicated followers of the band have grown accustomed to since the group’s formation in 2007, McCann’s writing misses the mark. Allusions to the relatable realities of love, sex and bluntness that fans have come to love and identify with are sorely lacking in several of the record’s tracks, an ailment “The Balcony” had not suffered from.
With the arrival of Catfish’s newfound success, especially in the new territory of the United States, McCann must tap into the sense of empathy in their music that fans have loyally absorbed. The boys’ live shows have transcended from pub stages to earning a spot on Green Day’s Summer 2017 Revolution Radio tour as a special guest appearance.
The band has accumulated such a devoted fan base however, that “The Ride’s” shortcomings have not entirely held the record back from making its mark on young people enthralled by McCann’s dedication to revolutionizing alternative music.
A fan favorite from the album is the leading track “7.” McCann’s writing speaks of an older life – days come to pass. He writes, “I beg you, but you know I’m never home/I love you, but I need another year alone.”
The song uncovers the truth of life on the road as the boys embark on long months of touring, a reality McCann described as one of the great hardships of making music.
We have all loved and lost. “The Ride” does the trick in pulling listeners back into the reality of our lives and the hardships we face. Catfish and the Bottlemen are dead set on proving to the world that there is still music out there for the young rock lovers working their 9-to-5s in the midst of heartbreak and elation alike.