Put Em Away The ska genre may have fizzled out a bit over the past few years, but Philadelphia’s own Catbite is injecting some serious new life into the genre with their latest EP called Doom Garden. Catbite manage to simultaneously break down the walls of what can be considered ska, while also furthering their own artistic development. When I last caught up with the band for an interview, I could tell that they were poised for breakout success on this record. Of course it doesn’t hurt to have an excellent cameo on “Tired of Talk” by Fall Out Boy’s Patrick Stump to boost their own streaming algorithm and alert new fans to the magic that comes through the speakers when Catbite play their captivating music. Doom Garden is brimming with new possibilities for this band that continues to improve on their songwriting.
The EP launches off on the right foot with the in-your-face live energy of lead single, “Die In Denver”. Lead singer, Brittany Luna commands the song from the first electric note as the band settles into a great groove with some ska chords paired with some cool keyboards to keep things interesting. The verses of the song are filled with breakneck energy, while the pre-chorus has some beefed up chords behind each of Luna’s lyrics to emphasize each word. The keyboard solo towards the end of the song is truly magical, and makes for a stellar lead single.
”Tired of Talk” might just be one of the more creative songs to come out this year, and I’m thrilled for Catbite to achieve their emo dream of wrangling Patrick Stump for some key guest vocals. Although their parts were recorded separately, the banter between Stump and Luna sounds interwoven like they were in the same vocal booth together, and each singer has plenty of standout moments in the track. The guitar playing by Tim Hildebrand remains crunchy, and top-notch as he puts some extra “oomph” behind the repetitious chorus lyrics.
My personal favorite in the Doom Garden tracklisting comes on “Put Em Away” as Brittany Luna continues to impress with her vocal chops on the chorus part of “p-p-put em away” that features some added great production from Sarah Tudzin. The song is the closest thing to what Catbite cut their teeth to on their debut and the excellent follow-up of Nice One. “Eyes Wide” features a cameo from Sweet Pill and adds to the aggressive nature of the key track in the set. The song has some great drumming from Chris Pires, who keeps up nicely with the breakneck nature of the song.
”Deteriorate” is a somber reminder of the fragility of life, and the heartfelt vocals by Brittany Luna over Tim Hildebrand’s guitar are as gorgeous as they are heartbreaking. The song bleeds into the closer of “Remediate” that ends Doom Garden on a positive and more cheerful note as Catbite get back to their comfortable uptempo approach. Luna’s searing vocal approach cuts through the mix like a precise knife of a surgeon, and the backing instrumentation from her bandmates continues to impress.
Catbite should be a lot bigger than they are currently, so it’s very important for others to help spread the word about their dynamic music. Come to a show, bring a friend, and see how Catbite put this all together in a crowd-pleasing package. Doom Garden signals a changing of the guard for this ska band that is capable of taking over the scene.