CATTY puts pedal to gas on superb sophomore project ‘Bracing For Impact’.
It’s with a religious fervour that rising star CATTY bloods her sophomore EP in front of a sold out Colours Hoxton on the eve of Halloween.
Over the past two years, the Welsh songwriter has grown somewhat of a cult following — one fan page aptly named cattyscoven — and it’s easy to hear why. Bracing For Impact is 25 minutes of pedal-to-the-floor alt-pop, delivered with claws out and heart exposed.
Arriving almost exactly a year after breakout Healing Out Of Spite, CATTY trades heartbreak for reckless romance. But make no mistake: this isn’t a cosy rom-com. It’s high drama.
The EP is cinematic from the off with ‘Joyride’ — strings spiralling into a plucky piano line before brass blasts through the chaos. “You tell me that you want me, but so does everybody,” she sighs, feeling the clown for falling all over again. Fans who were here for ‘I Dated A Monster’ and ‘I Wish I Gave You Hell’ in 2024 know that the songwriter has been burnt before.
Just as ‘Joyride’ seems to close, CATTY launches into a theatrical bridge and triumphant final chorus, breaching the five-minute mark — a daring move in a TikTok-timed industry terrified of losing attention. It’s a bold choice and one that continues across the EP - but when you boast a charisma like this, more is always more.
Live, the gamble pays dividens. Closing the Colours Hoxton set, CATTY descends into the crowd for the song’s explosive finale. It’s a spectacular live music moment.
Having surrendered to the ride, CATTY quickly grabs the wheel again. On ‘Prized Possession’ there’s a familiar masochism to the way she navigates those early butterflies, shifting through the gears over devilish pop/rock production.That’s another highlight on Halloween Eve as the star’s opening strut transforms into a stomp for the snarling chorus.
One of the EP’s most sincere moments comes as CATTY steps away from the relationship to look back at what came before on ‘4am (Back in His Bed)’. Where her current love can be screamed from the rooftops, that hasn’t always been the case as she sings from the secrecy of a house party bathroom.
Beneath the radio-ready chorus — and iconic line “eating me out when you’ve got food at home” — sits a lesson in self-worth. Live, the hurt is palpable.
“I kind of became an experiment, I guess,” CATTY told DORK. “I hate using that word, because all queer people have to figure out they’re queer some way or another, you know? But I thought this girl was going to dump her boyfriend, and she was never going to dump her boyfriend.”
That hope for something better is also present on ‘Make You Love Me’, a scaled-up bedroom confession that perhaps lacks the alchemy of its EP siblings. At Colours Hoxton, however, it’s the most emotional moment of the night as the star helps two fans get engaged - “I don’t know about you two, but this is the best day of my life,” she beams.
The title track sees a return to CATTY’s trademark grungy pop sound as the EP draws to a close, the artist preparing for a car crash heartbreak that may never come. It’s only the beginning of a final 10 minutes of melodrama.
The project closes on what could be considered the singer’s new magnum opus. ‘Man on the Run’ is a premeditation of the break-up delivered with exceptional poise. The car has come off the track, but rather than panic, the singer accepts her fate.
“Through all of my life when I fall, I rise, but this I won’t survive,” CATTY opens over a muted guitar. The track packs the EP’s most brutal punch despite its sparse production. A delicious piece of self-sabotage.
At the release party, the track transcends from heartbreak to loss in a tribute to a recently lost friend. There are few dry eyes in the room until the song dies out and CATTY takes a breath. “Is it not really funny that I sang that entire song with my ass out,” she jokes.