Back in May, I started listening to the band Catfish and The Bottlemen. Here are some of my favorite songs by them!
Catfish and The Bottlemen is a British indie-rock band formed in 2007. They released their first studio album, The Balcony, in 2014. They released their sophomore album, The Ride, in 2016 and their last album, The Balance in 2019. Unfortunately, since their last performance in 2021, they have broken up. Even though they decided to split up, their music has made an impact and is something I listen to daily.
“Kathleen”
Starting off strong with a classic song from their debut album, “Kathleen” is currently their most listened to song on Spotify, with over 150 million streams. I feel as though a lot of people hate on others for loving an artist’s most popular song, but it’s popular for a reason! I’ve probably listened to it hundreds of times, especially this past summer. To say I’m obsessed with it is an understatement. Although I love the studio version and live version with the entire band, nothing beats the “1 Mic 1 Take” version with the leader singer, Van McCann singing and playing acoustic guitar. There’s something incredibly special and raw about only hearing McCann’s voice and his guitar.
“Pacifier”
“Pacifier” is another song from their debut album, The Balcony. Catfish lean more into their rock side for the song. My favorite version of this is “Pacifier (Live at Glastonbury 2015).” Comparing it to the “1 Mic 1 Take” of “Kathleen” where I preferred hearing mainly McCann’s voice, the instruments make this song. I’m obsessed with the sound of the electric guitar right before the chorus, along with the background vocals during the chorus. In the Glastonbury live version of the song, you can see the members of the bands shaking their heads to the song, and that is the only way to listen to it.
“Emily”
“Emily” is a song off of their sophomore album, The Ride. “Emily” is more of an indie song compared to their other ones. I don’t know what it is about it, but since the first time I listened to it, I was hooked. I listen to it back to back and during every car ride — I have without a doubt overplayed it. I wouldn’t be surprised if it ends up on my top five for my Spotify wrapped this year. Since this song wasn’t a single, I don’t have a specific version that I listen to, other than the studio. I do recommend listening to the slowed-down version on YouTube though!
“Anything”
Suffering the same fate as “Emily,” “Anything” has been overplayed because it’s such a perfect song for any occasion: driving around at night, making food, working out. The possibilities to play this song are endless. Also off of The Ride, “Anything” was one of the first songs, if not the first song, that I listened to off of the album. I had high expectations for the rest of the album, and they were met, as it’s currently my favorite! My most listened to version of this song is “Anything (Live At T In The Park 2016).”
Honorable mentions
“Fluctuate,” off of their last album, The Balance, and my favorite from that album.
“Red,” off of The Ride,
and “Hourglass” from The Balcony.
If you haven’t listened to them…
I recommend all these songs to start out with, and before you know it, you’ll be obsessed!
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