It’s 2005 and Bloc Party have just burst onto the charts with their explosive debut, Silent Alarm. With a refreshing staccato-esque lyric layered over a series of urgent melodies, the album was deservingly heralded Album of the Year by NME.
Fast forward ten years to 2015, and Sheffield four piece, Catalysts have just released their debut single ‘See In The Dark’. Much like Bloc Party, there’s an imperative quality to the track, which makes for guaranteed foot-tapping. However, Tom Southward-Bruce wields a greater level of control over his narrative than Bloc Party frontman, Kele Okereke, as he croons: “If I / could see / in the dark / I’d sense you moving away from me / in the night / in the night girlllll”. It’s sinister, in a beautiful way and there’s a delightful obscurity to some of the lyrics “take a portion of your disease / and write it out in perfect Cantonese”. There’s a frantic beat throughout, credit to Josi Neath, which regrettably makes the song seem over before it has even begun. But that’s what the repeat button is for, eh?
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pk9LAw1yCpg&w=740&h=422]
An exclamatory “GO!” mid-track leads to a frenetic breakdown which demonstrates the musical talent of the rest of the band, with guitarist Elliot Whiteside carrying the melody. The aural components wash over one another in a sea of sound, without ever clashing or seeming too much. It’s carefully constructed, perfectly executed and – luckily for you – available to buy off iTunes from today for just £0.99.
Words by Beth Kirkbride