Cat Party’s “Rhapsody in Black”

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(from Cat Party‘s self-titled debut LP out now on Flat Black Records)

Cat Party dutifully follows the tradition of power-pop: straight-forward, hook-heavy and amplified. Echoes of the Nerves, the Wipers, Sonic Youth and Hüsker Dü jump out in perfect 4/4 from their new self-titled full-length from Flat Black Records. You can just picture the all-ages show behind the skate park under Southern California skies, where Roger, Ryan and Richie honor the tradition of the power trio and create the tableau for skaters to sniff glue and fuck around. Themes of isolation and impending responsibilities will be recognizable to anyone forced to grow up too soon. You’ll nod along to songs like “Product of the Eighties,” “Let The Bullets Through” and “Entitled” and say, “I know this song—I get this.” The intensity offered up here is the same as when you first heard the Descendents in your bedroom or Nirvana at the local record store, but Cat Party effectively shifts and rearranges what came before them instead of falling prey to mere mimicry. The guitars are bright and chiming, the drums thrash and propel, the bass anchors your swirling thoughts. Go get this—you’ll be stoked.

 —Eyad Karkoutly