Catfish and the Bottlemen return after five years with new single ‘Showtime’
After a five-year absence following 2019’s The Balance, Catfish and the Bottlemen have returned with their new single ‘Showtime’, released through Island Records.
The new release is produced by Dave Sardy, who previously helmed their chart-topping second album, 2016’s The Ride. In addition to sharing the new single, the Welsh group have also announced new headline dates. Catfish are set to play Cardiff Castle on July 19th and Edinburgh’s Summer Sessions on August 24th.
From a lyrical standpoint, ‘Showtime’ sees frontman Van McCann write in his typical autobiographical sense, beginning on the first verse, “Back to the graft again, Just sold my voice for a long weekend, You know there’s no other place I’d rather reset.”
Later on the track, he references the band’s headline slot at Leeds Festival in 2021, which was one of their final shows before they disappeared, which many suspected to be permanent. Sonically, on ‘Showtime’, Catfish and The Bottlemen inject a trademark sing-a-long chorus, which will go down positively with fans this summer at Reading + Leeds, and embrace their sunny surroundings of Los Angeles, where the new album was recorded.
Following their performances at festivals in 2021, drummer Bob Hall and guitarist Johnny Bond announced their departure from the band. With no replacements announced, bassist Benji Blakeway stands as the only other member alongside frontman McCann.
In 2022, Bond took to Instagram to confirm his decision to leave, writing: “To put it simply, I feel that both the professional and personal relationships had become entirely dysfunctional.”
He also claimed to have “had no contact or affiliation of any sort with the remaining band members since” their final performance together at Warrington’s Neighbourhood Festival in 2021.
Listen to ‘Showtime’ below.
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