Communion Records

That's just a generic description however, to fully grasp the depth and the talent that these shaggy haired  English guys have to offer, you'll have to listen to the album in its playful and glorious entirety.

There's been so many new bands that claim to be up and coming, but Catfish And The Bottlemen's solid debut prove that this English band is the real deal. BBC Radio 1 has been playing album highlights like "Kathleen" and "Cocoon" on heavy rotation for a majority of 2014 and AltNation has even picked up the album over the last few months as well. 

Lead singer Van McCann has a boyish charm and a baby face, but when it comes to writing hits, he is a lyrical genius. McCan pens all the tunes on "The Balcony" and all of them are well written and well produced enough to be singles, to be frank. While the singles are fast paced and filled with riffs and growly vocals, tunes like "Hourglass" slow things down a bit, and sound like it's being played in a Welsh pub on a Saturday night. 

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The songs, strung together by McCann's distinguishable vocals, go on about teenage love, lus, freedom and loss, but they discuss these topics with a gutsy amount of vulnerablity and honesty ("F*ck it if they talk/ f*ck it if they try to get to us/cause I'd rather go blind than let you down" from "Cocoon"). 

Not only that, a lot of the album material are lyrical conversations between two people, which makes the record even more relatable. Take "Homesick," for example; at the refrain, McCann sings "I said I'm only looking out for you/You said it's obvious that's a lie, but I only ever put out for you, you know it's obvious you don't try." These lyrics seem simple, but the way McCann growls his words on the record depicts the struggle between two individuals. The way he manipulates his voice in songs perfectly work to introduce cathartic breakthroughs in each of the songs. 

Another stunner from "The Balcony" is "Pacifier," which not only has one of the most infectious guitar riffs I've heard in recent months, but also instrumentation to kill for. The drum-led rhythm sprinkled throughout the whole song makes it completely garage rock worthy--it's one of those head bangers."Rango" and "Tyrants" are also two other songs that make you jam so hard you'll strain your necks, but it's all worth it.

As a whole, this impressive album proves that Catfish And The Bottlemen are well on their way onto becoming indie darlings this side of the pond. Not only does the band have out-of-this-world musical talent, they're also extremely comfortable with playing kickass show and interacting with fans with nothing but gratitude and humor. These fellas are taking Brit-rock to another level. Listen to the album now, and you'll be glad you did. 

The album is now available through Communion Records. 

Reach Music Editor Joyce Jude Lee here.