There’s nothing more rewarding than going to a concert and discovering a new band that re-captures your love for a certain genre of music. I attended a concert in DC over the weekend for Anti-Flag, and the supporting band, Catbite, really blew me away with their live performance and overall showmanship in winning over the crowd. Catbite’s sophomore effort called Nice One is a thrilling listen from start to finish, and re-captures my love for ska, especially when it’s this well done. The Philadelphia-based band formed in 2018 and is comprised of lead vocalist Brittany Luna, guitarist Tim Hildebrand, bassist Ben Parry, and drummer Chris Pires. Their ska/punk sound strays somewhere between early No Doubt, paired with Less Than Jake, while mixing in some well-placed organs similar to Motion City Soundtrack. Nice One certainly lives up to its name.
Kicking off the set with the guitar-charged “Asinine Aesthetic,” Luna grabs the audience by the throat with her energetic approach to the vocals. The band is happy to keep the party going as she wails above the noise with perfect pitch. “Call Your Bluff” follows with some great organs setting the tone before the band explodes with the refrain of, “I don’t care / And I swear / I’m gonna make it, gonna call your bluff.” What Catbite does best on songs like this is sticking to the mantra of “don’t bore us, just get to the chorus,” by making themselves memorable without wearing out their welcome. Things continue to remain interesting on the single “Excuse Me Miss,” as the band continues to showcase their great band chemistry and keep interest high.
”Stay” is a mid-tempo track that sways along with veteran poise and shows that Catbite are able to slow things down when they need to paint with different colors. Brittany Luna’s impressive vocals on this and “Bad Influence” are very jazzy and well-constructed in their delivery. On the latter, Catbite rock along with an island-infused song about being a thorn in someone’s side.
Catbite are able to bring the party back on “TV Screen Beauty Queen” and the crowd-pleasing interactive song “Bidi Bidi Bom Bom” that invites the audience to participate in the vocal exchanges. Album closer “Lipstick Lines” kicks off with a great guitar riff from Hildebrand that wails along, yet picks its moments to be in the forefront of the production.
Overall, there’s so much to like on Nice One, even for casual fans of the ska genre. It’s a feel-good record that wraps up in under 30 minutes and leaves you feeling better about your day than when you started. Catbite also recently released an EP entitled Wavebreaker #2 that includes a rockin’ ska cover of Neon Trees’ “Everybody Talks.” For now, you should find a way to make it to a Catbite show to experience what I did first-hand. And be sure to thank me if you end up dancing all of your troubles away.