Album Review: Catfish & The Bottlemen - The Balance

It’s been three years since we've heard anything from Welsh indie-rockers, Catfish & The Bottlemen and they’re finally back with rough and ready, The Balance. Recorded in both the Irish and English countryside over 12 months, the band were able to create without distraction, and yet they have produced an album that really doesn’t vary greatly from their past work. 

Kicking off with first single Longshot, its grungy distortion sounds authentically Catfish as the pounding drum lines give it an extra bite of playfulness. Other singles Fluctuate and 2all are similar as dance beats run behind crisp guitar solos and thick bass lines. Catfish do what Catfish do well throughout, each chorus anthemic and loud, as songs like Sidetrack fluctuate between soft guitar plucking to heavy strumming and ripping lead guitar before Mission works up from a thumping steady chorus to a forceful and rough finale.

While it’s easy to call The Balance a continuation of 2016’s The Ride, there’s a slight disappointment in the lack of dynamics and variety in tone and progression, as the majority of songs use similar chords, vocal tones and running drum beats. Regardless, the songs are rough, incredibly catchy as always, and most definitely killer additions to the band's live show.