Fans have been waiting with anticipation for British indie rock band Catfish and the Bottlemen’s second album, and now the first single off the album has been released. “Soundcheck” is one of the band’s more rock-centered songs, a combination of country rock and brit-rock.
Catfish and the Bottlemen formed in Llandudno, North Wales back in 2007, and they’ve released one album so far, The Balcony, which reached number 10 on the UK album chart upon its release. It was released in September of 2014 and was awarded a gold certification from the British Phonographic Industry in July of 2015. It was also nominated for the Welsh Music Prize 2014-2015. The album received mixed reviews from critics. Since the release of The Balcony, Catfish and the Bottlemen have toured across North America, the UK, Australia, and Europe. They’ve also played at several festivals, including Glastonbury, Governors Ball, and Bonnaroo. In December of 2014, they won the BBC Introducing Award at the first BBC Music Awards, and they’ve performed on the David Letterman show as well.
The band got their name from the street performer Catfish the Bottleman, a musician and singer-songwriter from Sydney, Australia known for playing music with drums and tuned beer bottles. Van McCann stated that the street performer was the inspiration behind the band’s name. Catfish the Bottleman traveled through Ireland, the UK, and the Canary Islands performing on the streets playing a vacuum cleaner. He was also a finalist on Australia’s Got Talent in 2008.