A couple of months ago, NE Volume reviewed Catalyse’s last single ‘LED’ and described it as being an almost perfect soundtrack to the feeling you have when you get on one, know it’s time to stop, but don’t want to.

Riff-heavy, claustrophobic and scary, Catalyse suggested that, not only did they know how to walk on the wild side, but they were also the type of artists who weren’t going to stifle their creativity and pander to an audience.

If we needed further proof of the band’s determination to be true to their vision then we certainly get it with their new release.

Darker, broodier and more intense than LED, ‘What..’ finds the band in confident songwriting and production form, evolving not just their technical skills but also the sophistication of their arrangements.  

5 minutes in duration, and using a minute rock-meets-dance, pounding, introduction, ‘What..’ carries the soundtrack to hedonism brilliantly.

Complimented by vocals which are deliberately dreary and slurry, lyrics about the darker sides of life, and a pounding guitar riff, Catalyse produce a sound that is parts ‘light’ Nine Inch Nails and ‘Faith and Devotion’ era Depech Mode; it’s the sound and the imagery of someone in the midst of drug paranoia.  And it’s brilliant.

If this band carry on maturing at this pace, and exploring the darker sides of life, we’ll have a serious band on our hands.