An artist can best exude their brilliance by walking the fine line between modern and vintage; harkening sounds of the past while at the same time keeping up with the contemporary styles. This can be said of Cat Has Claws, a trio from Attleboro driven by Julie Bozek’s guitar skills mirroring alternative rock’s glory days of the ’90s, Buck St. Thomas keeping a groove on the drums, and Matt Hebert on the keys resonating a distinct synth that’s reminiscent of today’s pop music. On top of these musical qualities, the three of them share vocal harmonies that keep it authentic and original.
That’s part of the reason why the new EP from Cat Has Claws, Bars And Tone, is so immediately appealing. In advance of their record release party tomorrow night (Saturday, January 30) at The Parlour in Providence, Vanyaland is excited to premiere the EP in full via their Bandcamp below.
Recorded at Wooly Mammoth Sound in Waltham, the production on Bars And Tone flows from being strikingly orchestral to possessing an absolute rawness. There’s no nonsense with this one, an organic cadence is abundant throughout the EP with no frills. What you hear is what you get when this trio performs together. Straight up indie rock with feeling and rhythm that’ll never lead you a stray. The palpability each track radiates will evoke an energetic sensation that’ll have the music racing through you.
When Bozek hits that first strum on guitar in “Animal”, you’ll be hooked on a triumphant track that touches on adventurous youth and self-awareness. A righteous riff starts “B-Side” off with Hebert taking the helm on vocals and conveying catchy lyrics about letting it all out rather than keeping it bottled up inside. The chorus showcases the infectious harmonies mentioned earlier with the trio singing together in unison. St. Thomas gets rhythmic on drums and starts singing on “Unaffected” for a rapturous vibe that’ll grab hold of your senses. Bozek kicks things into high gear on her six string during the latter half of the track to mix things up.
At The Parlour, Cat Has Claws share the stage with Connecticut indie-pop space cadets Jose Oyola & The Astronauts, folk rockers Barn Burning, and Puerto Rican singer-songwriter Fernandito Ferrer. It’s going to be a night filled with diverse sounds where each act is bringing something different to the stage. While you’re there, pick up a copy of Bars and Tone but for now give it a stream, in full or by individual track, below.
