Something We All Got is the third album from the Toronto group and the recipe of buzzing, breathless quite often vulnerable sound has been matured and given new life.
Kicking things into gear is the opener “Loiter For The Love Of It”, unguarded melodies and shimmering harmonies are found across the whole project, and the opening track is a magnifying glass into the world of cootie catcher, a group for people who learnt their vulnerabilities through Belle And Sebastian records and Sarah Records compilations. The vocals of Anita Fowl are sweet, nervous and could never be accused of being anything but sincere. “Lyfestyle” is DIY to its core, a regular fixture of cootie catcher’s lofi approach is a penchant for personally-sourced samples that can transform a wandering mediation into a slightly cosmic, off-the-wall highlight.
When I mention a strong presence of lo-fi, twee, and jangle you might suspect this is an album content to sit picking daisies, content to waltz along, this perception is pleasantly flipped upside down by “Straight Drop” and “From here to Halifax”, both tracks power forward with a restless urgency, its positively euphoric and some of the projects defining moments are found in this double-salvo.
There is something so intrinsically human about “Rhymes With Rest” it sounds like the musical equivalent of wanting to make a really good impression. Cootie catcher is the product of three songwriters – Chavez, Fowl, and Jakupovski – all of whom have distinctive voices but still manage to overlap in their writing on shared concerns like navigating the lines of romantic and platonic relationships, their city’s social scenes.
Even when you think you have the group pinned down to a particular influence, sound or feeling they are excellent at springing a surprise, “Wrong Choice” and “Gingham Dress” are great examples of being able to suddenly take a left-field turn and stick the landing. The latter track is frantic, and its lo-fi synth introduction is weird and wonderful.
“Pirouette” concludes the project much like we started, a supercharged-confessional-jangle blow out, Something We All Got is a defining testament to the lasting spectacle of the two minute pop song. The whole thing feels like its over in a flash and you are bound to sit there eyeing up the replay button, lets put that down to the testament of perfect pop. Cootie Catcher are reintroducing the melody, and we should all be very grateful.
