Catfish and the Bottlemen’s initial singles, all of which are present on The Balcony, led them to critical praise. They performed at over 30 festivals last summer, and their track ‘Kathleen’ was ranked as MTV’s hottest track last April. Whether or not the band deserves this acclaim could be debated. Their debut album The Balcony is an act of constant escalation. Many of its best tracks start out gently, but for better or worse, the band cannot seem to avoid intensifying until the guitar is wailing and the vocals screaming. Every song must keep moving forward at a near overwhelming level; on the rare occasions that the album hits pause, it seems to lose something.

The band, which formed in Llandudno, North Wales, consists of lead vocalist Van McCann, lead guitar Johnny Bond, bass guitar Benji Blakeway, and drummer Bob Hall. The Balcony was released with label Communion Records in the UK on September 15, 2014, and in the US on January 6, 2015.

Continue reading Album Review: The Balcony | Catfish and the Bottlemen →