Edinburgh group The Cathode Ray has been helmed by frontman and songwriter Jeremy Thoms since its inception in 2006, establishing a reputation for intelligent, high quality post-punk pop over the course of three critically acclaimed albums.
Heralded by three impressive singles, ‘Travelling In Style’, ‘No Uncertain Terms’ and ‘Consequences’, ‘Advance Retreat’ is perhaps the most melodic of the group’s albums to date, with Thoms’ vocal melodies often under-scored by matching guitar lines.
The album has a lithe bounce to it, at times evoking a pacier High Llamas, or the psychedelic pop of the 1980s Liverpool post-punk scene. Thoms sings like he’s confiding in the listener, creating a sense of intimacy and intrigue, while his band mates Steve Fraser, Phil Biggs, Neil Baldwin and David Mack provide crisp and supple backing, always serving the song, with no hint of showboating.
When Thoms spoke to the Edinburgh News in September, he revealed that lockdown during the Covid-19 pandemic had proven a fruitful time for his song-writing, with ‘Advance Retreat’s nine tracks being written during this period, perhaps explaining the lyrics: “Those dreams and schemes, it seems they’ve been let out to play” in closing track, ‘Holy Grail’.
The album certainly has a cohesive, focused feel to it, each song working in relation to the others to create a cumulative atmosphere; Travelling in Style perhaps encapsulates the mood best, with its jaunty melody and upbeat groove, while Cross Purposes introduces a slightly darker feel, without losing the infectious sway that runs through the album.
Elsewhere, the balmy reverie of ‘Few And Far Between’ harks back to the celestial doo-wop of The Flamingos, while the blissful haze and restless melodic shifts of ‘Halcyon Days’ find the group in more experimental mode, to good effect. Further variety is evident in the up-tempo ‘Eventually’, which marries a snaking lead guitar line to an irresistible near-Latin groove, under-pinned by a propulsive bassline worthy of Pixies’ Kim Deal. Subtle synth squiggles add texture to this cleverly-arranged earworm of a song.
‘Advance Retreat’ maintains the high standards set by its predecessors, featuring as it does a set of tightly-written songs packed with subtle touches, but it’s the overall warmth and intimacy of the album that will prompt repeated plays. There’s no sense of retreat, as The Cathode Ray advance their pop experimentation with confidence and purpose.
- The Cathode Ray - 11 November 2024
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