image courtesy of Howlin’ Wuelf Media

Album Review of Catbells: Partly Cloudy (SQFT Records)

Partly Cloudy is the debut full-length album release from folky dream-pop artist Catbells. The album skews toward the pop-rock end of the dream-pop genre, increasing the likelihood that individual songs on Partly Cloudy might readily connect with a broader audience. Catbells’ songwriting suggests a breadth of influences coloring her musical palette, driving noticeable song-to-song nuance.

Catbells’ songs are mellow but structured, with a sense of purpose and destination. The key to Partly Cloudy‘s substantiveness is that it’s a song-driven album. I was intrigued by this album quickly upon my first listen, but I spun the disc several times before committing to a review, waiting to see if its appeal would fade. I’ve been fooled before by soft, dreamy music. No such surprise here; instead, this disc gets better with each listen.

Album-opener “Fade (Rainy Day Demo)” has a Stevie Nicks-ish vibe. In other words, Stevie might perform a song like this if she were to perform in this genre. Catbells’ voice can be a bit soft and wispy, but it’s also firm and full, hinting at plenty of power in reserve. “Fade” is a terrific introduction to Catbells’ musical style. If I had to compare Catbells’ style to anyone else I’ve reviewed, it compares closest to Bridget Davis & the Viking Kings (reviewed here, here, and here), who I’ve always categorized as folk-rock or pop-folk, not dream-pop.

photo by Marisa Cherie; photo courtesy of Howlin’ Wuelf Media

As noted, Catbells’ songwriting is a key to her music’s strength. Indeed, song two, “Wilderness,” has moments that are a little reminiscent of the Beatles. The song has a very late sixties-early seventies flavor, akin to some of the Beatles folkier songs during that time frame; also, slightly reminiscent of the successful folk crossover sound from that era. “Wilderness,” like the song before, is engaging because the song has something to say, its songwriting moves it along with purpose, and, of course, Catbells’ voice and instrumentation are pleasant and original.

You’ll find mildly crunchy pop-rock guitars on song three, “Gone Too Far,” which would be as at home as one of the dreamier songs on a radio-friendly alt-rock band’s album as it is on this disc. Also, there’s a sound effect that sometimes makes me get up and look outside to see if there’s a dog barking whenever I hear it, so thanks for that, Catbells. All is forgiven, though, because this is a really cool song, barky sound notwithstanding.

“I Wish” is sonically very familiar, again more alt-rockish. There’s a hint of an eerie, haunting sound, particularly – but not just – in the guitar, that recalls for me Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Game.” (Yes, I overuse that reference in my reviews; clearly, I need another.)

I’ll not go song-by-song through the rest of disc. Each song is uniquely original, and you’ll certainly have your own personal favorites.

It is worth noting that , a couple songs later, “Same As You” has a lyrical delivery that’ll get stuck in your head. Specifically, the line “I… I will remember you.” But also the jangly bonging of the music, which is comparatively uptempo for this album.

For its variety, which is something Catbells does adeptly on this album, despite the similarity of the songs’ sound, I specifically enjoy the music spaciness – as in, outer space-iness – of “Ground Force,” in addition to the earnestness of the song’s vocal delivery.

“Trying Not to Feel” is one of the album’s more melancholy songs, with its cool, introspective lyrics that are exceptionally well-suited to the music, driven initially primarily by a purposeful strum that continues throughout, with Catbells’ musical cadence and vocal tone befitting the chorus’ main message of “Trying not to feel, makes me want to cry.”

Finally, the album ends with song thirteen, “Riding Tides,” a very clearly spoken-sung song with an echoing vocal effect that’s not necessarily unique to this track, but it’s much more apparent due to the light instrumentation, which is mostly a… is that a ukelele?

In all, it’s a great album, an enjoyable listen. I sometimes think I should listen to Partly Cloudy in a dark room with only the spinning reflections of a disco ball lighting the room. I haven’t, in part because I don’t own a disco ball, but if you are able to try this, let me know how it goes. I bet it’ll be a cool experience.

Even if you don’t have many artists like Catbells it in music your collection, she is a best-of-genre artist with crossover appeal, so as a music fan, you should probably at least be aware of her and sample a bit of her music. You’ll probably be glad you did.

More Recently

Even though Partly Cloudy was just released a couple months ago, on October 27th, Catbells does have a more recent single release. Her cover of “Walking in the Air” dropped on December 15th. You can find the song here on bandcamp and here on Spotify; the video is here on YouTube. Catbells’ Instagram followers heard a preview on December 7th, so if you dig Catbells’ music, it’s probably worth following her on Instagram.