Catfish and the Bottlemen - 'The Ride' Album Review

Catfish and the Bottlemen’s rise from the seemingly never ending pub circuit to arena sell-out tours has not only been remarkable but quite simply unbelievable given the time frame in which they have achieved it. The band has worked tirelessly and shows no signs of slowing down. The fans spoke louder than the critics – something special is brewing with this band. People are excited about them, and intently so. Catfish and the Bottlemen are back with another confident, bullish, straight forward, self-assured record.

Debuting at number one in the UK album charts, ‘The Ride’ is a continuation of the values and success that have gotten the band to where they find themselves. The songs are snappy, slick and unpretentious. A perfect example of this is opening track ‘7’ - a three-minute song with a big chorus written about a girl. This has become the blueprint of Van McCann’s song writing. However, some have criticised him for this and claim that his song writing, both lyrically and musically, doesn’t have the same depth of a David Bowie or an Alex Turner song. This is a ridiculous comparison to make.

It can’t be denied that there are similar themes on this record as on their debut ‘The Balcony’.  The album can be described as ‘The Balcony 2.0’. The narratives are the same but the detail is slightly more intricate. Catfish and the Bottlemen are a self-aware band and don’t pretend that they’re something they’re not – much to their credit. McCann’s song writing is not only relatable but realistic.

Of course Catfish and the Bottlemen are going to be compared to their predecessors – it’s sometimes the only way certain critics can review a band. So comparisons to critic favourites Arctic Monkeys, Oasis and The Libertines are to be expected. It’s not a coincidence that there’s never a negative review of a Gallagher record - and trust me, there have been some bad records.

Catfish and the Bottlemen might not have written a ‘classic’ yet that will end up on a best of British compilation album but put quite simply, that is just not what this band are about. They are crowd pleasers and there is nothing wrong with that.

4/5

“The purpose of the songs is to sell tickets opposed to having a hit. It’s to get people in a room together and have a good time” – Johnny Bond:2016