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After what seems like eternity, the highly anticipated return of Catfish and the Bottlemen has graced us. Their latest single, Longshot, was dropped just over a week into the New Year with the video to accompany it, a little over a month before their UK arena tour. Its reveal seemed like a drop out of the blue but that has not stopped anyone from lapping it up. But, as loved Catfish and The Bottlemen are by their fans and as fun as this track is, it is so simply ‘Catfish’ and not a whole lot more.
Yes, it retains the typical yet lovable sound they’ve consistently met with their last 2 albums but doesn’t feel like much more that something that could easily come from either of those records. Longshot is very recognisably a Catfish and The Bottlemen song, which may be part of the issue; it’s pleasantly enjoyable and catchy but lacks a departure from the safety net of their identifiable sound.
To give credit where credit is due, they’ve made a huge impact on the ever-growing Indie music scene and their burst in to fame back in 2014 is unforgettable, but ideally growth should now be in their sights. However, it is debatably too soon to say that their third album, which is yet to have a name or release date, will be a further extension of the same Catfish wave they’ve been riding for the last 5 years since The Balcony’s debut in 2014.
Not to draw away from the release itself, as it is indisputably enjoyable and is easy to head bop and sing along to. Its slinky opening verse that builds into a chorus of grand proportion is a style adopted by the band that works delightfully and never fails them. Lyrically, it, to me, captures the relationships and friendships we all have that aren’t quite what they could be; it’s a risk to try and make it work but in the end it could bloom into something worth your while.
Imaginably, every audience member will be singing it back as it’ll be a pleaser at their sold out arenas shows they are set to play in February.
Article By E.H
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