Catfish And The Bottlemen’s third album will be titled ‘The Balance’, and is set for release on Friday 26 April 2019. In a rush of confirmations following the successful release of new single, ‘Longshot’, earlier this month, it’s now known that the new album release will be closely followed by a run of live shows across UK and Europe this Spring.
New songs from the 11-track album will feature in a 12-show run that kicks off in Galway, the Republic of Ireland. The newly-announced arena dates throughout the UK will offer disappointed fans, who missed out on their imminent and SOLD OUT arena dates this February, another chance to score tickets. The full list of freshly booked dates is as follows:
- Sun 28 Apr 2019 Galway, Leisureland
- Tue 30 Apr 2019 Dublin, The Olympia Theatre
- Thu 2 May 2019 Brighton, Brighton Centre
- Sat 4 May 2019 Coventry, Ericsson Indoor Arena
- Sun 5 May 2019 Cardiff, Motorpoint Arena
- Tue 7 May 2019 Sheffield, FlyDSA Arena
- Wed 8 May 2019 Manchester, Manchester Arena
- Mon 13 May 2019 Madrid, La Riviera
- Tue 14 May 2019 Barcelona, Razzmatazz
- Thu 16 May 2019 Milan, Alcatraz
- Sat 18 May 2019 Berlin, Huxleys Neue Welt
- Mon 20 May 2019 Amsterdam, Melkweg
The guarded four-piece remained tight-lipped during the recording sessions for their new album, but now offer further insights into the new material set to soundtrack their journey onto yet bigger stages.
In the breaks between electrifying outdoor and festival shows in 2018, Van McCann (vocals, guitars), Johnny Bond (guitars), Robert ‘Bob’ Hall (drums) and Benji Blakeway (bass)retreated with Irish producer, Jacknife Lee, to carefully craft The Balance over a 12-month period. Recorded in seclusion at two locations: Grouse Lodge, in Moate, Republic of Ireland, and The Chapel in the countryside of East Lincolnshire, the band lived and breathed the album while residing together in rural isolation. The album was mixed by Craig Silvey.
“We loved living in the same place,” says McCann. “We were staying there the whole time, so we were waking up around each other and working until we needed to go to bed. Jacknife was always up. He was the first up and the last awake. It’s good when you’re completely engulfed in recording in a place like that, living together, because every day and all day it was about the songs. We had fun too; they were the funniest album sessions we’ve done.”
In addition to ‘Longshot’ and newly established live favourite, Fluctuate, the full track listing for The Balance is confirmed as follows:
2. Fluctuate
3. 2all
4. Conversation
5. Sidetrack
6. Encore
7. Basically
8. Intermission
9. Mission
10. Coincide
11. Overlap
Further to the album name and familiar, one-word song titling, the creative bridge between 2014’s platinum-certified debut, The Balcony and its gold follow up, The Ride, has been reinforced by Catfish returning to San Francisco-based, graphic artist, Tim Lahan to provide cover artwork for a third time. The playful, monochromatic line drawing of a drinking toucan provides observers with no shortage of mystery to unravel as to the artwork’s inspirations and significance.
Practically of no fixed abode due to constant touring, the band remains locked onto the intense shared live experience as theirs and their fans’ natural domain.
At the start of the year Catfish and The Bottlemen announced their first return to the USA since their nationwide stadium jaunt with Green Day finished in the autumn of 2017, with a new, 15-date US tour opening in Indianapolis in mid-March.
For details of special fan ticket presales, further announcements on new music and to sign up for mailing list updates, connect with Catfish and the Bottlemen on their official website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
‘The Balance’, from Catfish And The Bottlemen, is out on Friday April 26, through Island Records. UK and Ireland tour tickets go on general sale from 10am, Friday 1 February. You can pre-order, and get UK and Irish tour presale information here.
