The vibrant indie pop tropicalia of "Free From This", by Newcastle Upon Tyne indie-pop outfit Cat Ryan, feels like a lot of things, a cross generational collision of sorts manifesting into something else. The syncopated rhythms, sparkly, controlled yet kind of frenetic aesthetic feels joyful and imparts free stirring memories of new wave, funky flirtations, hybrid pop, lo-fi punk, bits of math rock, Afro-Caribbean guitar punctuations and more, that, in fact, had iconic artist like late 70's Scottish jangle pop touchstones Orange Juice, 80's new wave sensations Haircut 100 and even underground late aughts LA tropical punk abstractions Abe Vigoda all come to mind and, if not exactly sonically, attitudinally. "Free From This" is the kind of track that bridges genres and cultures and, well, cross cuts time lines too.
Liner Notes (excerpted / bracketed):
[The track marks something of an origin point for the band, even arriving years after it was written. “Free From This is where Cat Ryan began,” Mary-Anne Murphy explains (lead singer / founder). “I’d been writing music for years, but when this song came together I remember thinking, this is the sound I didn’t even know I was looking for.”
Mixed and mastered by Tilly Louise, ‘Free From This’ follows the band’s acclaimed EP ‘King of the World’ and singles including ‘Mannerism’, ‘Rex Mundi’ and ‘Lost My Connection’. Since forming in 2020, Cat Ryan have picked up support from BBC Radio 1, BBC 6 Music and Radio X, alongside a Spotify New Music Friday playlist placement, and have built a strong live reputation with appearances at The Great Escape, Truck, Y NOT and Kendal Calling, plus support slots for Sundara Karma, Hot Wax, Alfie Templeman and SPRINTS.]
Maybe the only song that I have ever heard that makes me want to form (or at least join) an organic conga line, I am in love with the new wave guide points, the ultra-soulful, funky, trippy guitar lead guitar shapes that work as an infectious proggy dance stepping melodies against the layers of sort of Carlos Alomar-esque chord progressions. The tightly wound bass and drums and dance flurries, all as a multi-facetted stage for singer-songwriter / multi-instrumentalist Mary-Anne Murphy's magnetically aloof vocal countenance is to die for.
[Cat Ryan is the musical creation of songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Mary-Anne Murphy alongside band mates Jake Waller-Doyle (lead guitar), Charlie Radford (drums), and Dan Wright (bass/keys).]
-Robb Donker Curtius
LYRICS
I thought I knew it all
I thought we all had a plan
But now I don′t hear a sound
I heard you
Feels so strange how
We never talk
It's like the world turned upside down
And now we′re strangers
Walking past each other
I used to want you so bad
And now it's so sad
We're nothing at all
Sometimes when I′m on my own
I just pick up the phone
And I dial your home number
I never call
Wanna go back to the times
Where there was no black and white
When we both lived our own lives
And we were free from this
Never suspected it
I thought you loved me
But it seems that I was wrong
Got stabbed right in the back
It hurt and still persists
And please God help me be
Be healed
It′s taking way too long now
I need to feel
Like I'm free from sorrow
Sometimes when I′m on my own
I just pick up the phone
And I dial your home number
I never call
Wanna go back to the times
Where there was no black and white
When we both lived our own lives
And we were free from this
Sometimes I think about what you do
And then I tell myself I don't care
I can′t deny what I feel inside
It's always gonna be there
Why are you so selfish
Keeping my mind stuck to our memories?
I probably should not blame you
But I heard you moved on and it′s not fair
Sometimes when I'm on my own
I just pick up the phone
And I dial your home number
I never call
Wanna go back to the times
Where there was no black and white
When we both lived our own lives
And we were free from this
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Hailing from Newcastle Upon Tyne, Cat Ryan is the musical creation of songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Mary-Anne Murphy alongside band mates Jake Waller-Doyle (lead guitar), Charlie Radford (drums), and Dan Wright (bass/keys). The band made a distinctive & lasting impression on their home city of Newcastle upon Tyne when they released their debut single 'Mannerism' in March 2020.
Cat Ryan’s unique brand of Indie-Pop has earned them acclaim, with features on BBC Radio 1, Radio 6 and Radio X, as well as performances with Sundara Karma, Alfie Templeman and Sprints. Having previously performed at Y NOT, Kendal Calling, and Truck Festival, the band are set to return to the Y NOT main stage in summer 2025.
Following the success of their debut EP ‘King of the World’ in 2023, Cat Ryan have cemented their status as one of the most exciting emerging acts on the scene, paving the way for their upcoming single ‘Amsterdam’, out on 11th July.
Cat Ryan, indie pop, indie rock, alt rock, blendo pop, blendo rock, UK, songwriter / multi-instrumentalist Mary - Anne Murphy, EP ‘King of the World’, new single "Free From This", progressive pop, dance pop, indie,
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