Catch Your Breath – Shame on Me
Catch Your Breath – Shame on Me
Thriller Records
Release Date: 20/10/2023
Running Time: 42:00
Review By Alex Swift
8/10
Originating from Austin, Texas, the Catch Your Breath can be best characterised as Alternative Rock with a Metal influence – a sound that’s realised from the outset on their debut album, “Shame on Me”. Speaking ahead of the record’s release, guitarist Teddy Herrera made the point that the band aspired to bring together these styles to make for something distinctly modern! In service to this goal, the album delivers a lot of emotion through a special fusion of inventive production, creative lyrics, and synth led components.
‘No Evil’ serves as an introductory piece to the bands core appeal, serving as a mission statement of sorts, aimed at championing the bands unique, distinctive style! It’s testament to the changing landscape of the music industry that much of Catch Your Breath’s success has been due to their singles sending shockwaves through social media, particularly with their song ‘Dial Tone’ becoming their most well-known to date. Against layers of distortion, contrasted with animated melodies, the piece provides an insight into a relationship just as it’s about to end, contemplating the emotional toll that it takes with the words “when I close my eyes, I can see a ghost from the past, and it cuts just like a knife”. This introspective, thoughtful approach to lyricism serves the band well throughout the record as lead vocalist Josh Mowery opens the song ‘Dying on The Inside’ with a dramatic line, “A fucked up world that just won’t change. A bottle of pills calling my name.” Dealing with themes of addiction and mental health, the tense, vicious atmosphere cultivated by this track speaks to the sense of dislocation present within the strained vocal melodies and discordant rhythmic patterns!
Herrera’s violent guitar playing, and Mowery’s profound lyrics are the focus of ‘Cycles’. This song above all demonstrates the emotional complexity poured into this piece; it takes the listener on a journey of suffering, hopelessness, and all that lies in between, the lyrics always perfectly complimenting the intense musicianship. Another song on which Mowery really lets loose is ‘Savages’, which was made available as a single earlier this year. Lyrically, the song condemns tyranny and exploitation. Written alongside Johnny Andrews of Three Days Grace and Halestorm, there’s a kind of simmering rage being present throughout the track, reminiscent of early alt-metal, while still bearing a contemporary production-sheen. Continuing to pay homage to the nu-metal and post grunge of the early 2000’s, ‘Mirror’ features groove-laden bass work, and fast-paced rapping which, while a risk, is executed cleverly, never feeling out of place. Proving the most experimental song on this project though is ‘21 Gun Salute’ which contrasts elements of ambient electronica, with dramatic percussive work, and layers of fuzzed-out guitars, making for an experience that is both mercurial and hypnotic.
Finishing on the reflective title track, we’re left to contemplate upon how by combining intensity and nuance, both in the lyrics and musicianship, Catch Your Breath have crafted a sound that is completely theirss. Few achieve that on their debut. However, through a willingness to draw on a range of influences, while shaping that into something unique, they have crafted a formula that they could definitely expound upon and develop for future releases!
TRACKLISTING:
01. No Evil
02. Dying on the Inside
03. Dial Tone
04. Cycles
05. Deadly
06. Y.S.K.W
07. My Confessions
08. Savages
09. Mirror
10. Don’t Go
11. Cold Light
12. 21 Gun Salute
13. Shame on Me
LINE-UP:
Joshua Mowery – vocals
Teddy Herrera – guitars
Cianan Madigan – bass
Onell Hernandez – drums
LINKS:
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