I had not heard of Calicocat prior to checking out their album "Royal Jelly" on Bandcamp. As a Nashville band, I had certain preconceptions about what I would hear when I pressed the play button. Let's just say I was pleasantly surprised.
The first track "i.e., Socialism" grabbed my attention from the opening riff. Vocals on this track, and throughout the album, are reminiscent of bands like Wolf Parade and the Shins, which is not a bad thing if you ask me. Musically the songs flow from sweet distorted hooks to dreamy passages laced with chorus and reverb. The easy-going feel of "Sopohomore Slump" is a great Pavement-esque jam, while the closer ""Mean" Joe Green" builds and builds to a great climax to end the EP. Calicocat succeeds in creating well-crafted songs without sounding formulaic, drawing from a myriad of sources to craft their sound. I could list any number of bands which they sound similar to throughout the record, but that would be pointless. They find ways to make these sounds their own. The 6 song album is definitely a great listen from start to finish; I never wanted skip to the next track. And that is an accomplishment in itself. So go to their Bandcamp page, download the album for free, and share it with your friends. I know that's what I'm going to do.
Now if only I could figure out when their next show is...
-Michael Davis
Download this shit on bandcamp right here
Calicocat is playing July 2nd, EXIT/IN w/ Inglewood and Innocent Flannel
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