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Where The Angels Fall
Studio album by
The Cat Empire
Released25 August 2023 (2023-08-25)
StudioMerri-bek City Band Room
GenreLatin, jazz, reggae, folk
Length51:38
LabelTwo Shoes
ProducerAndy Baldwin, Felix Riebl, Ollie McGill, Roscoe James Irwin
The Cat Empire chronology
Stolen Diamonds
(2019) 		Where The Angels Fall
(2023)
Singles from Where The Angels Fall
  1. "Thunder Rumbles"
    Released: 30 March 2023
  2. "Rock 'n' Roll"
    Released: 12 May 2023
  3. "Money Coming My Way"
    Released: 22 June 2023
  4. "Owl"
    Released: 4 August 2023

Where The Angels Fall is the ninth studio album by Australian band The Cat Empire. It was co-produced by Andy Baldwin, Felix Riebl, Ollie McGill and Ross Irwin and released on 25 August 2023, through Two Shoes Records.[1] It debuted at No. 5 on the ARIA Australian Artist Albums Chart,[2] making it the band's seventh top 10 debut in that chart. Four singles were released from the album; "Thunder Rumbles", "Rock 'n' Roll", "Money Coming My Way" and "Owl".

It is the first album released by the band following the departure of original members Ryan Monro, Harry James Angus, Will Hull-Brown and Jamshid Khadiwhala, and the first with new members Grace Barbé, Daniel Farrugia, Neda Rahmani and Lazaro Numa.[3]

Development

In March 2021, Monro left the band, and it was announced soon afterwards in September that Hull-Brown, Angus and Khadiwala would also leave after a final set of shows. Riebl and McGill stated that they would lead a new iteration of the band, with the intent of "taking the band forward into its next global chapter as a re-imagined, vibrant, cross-cultural, and joyful collective of musicians and artists.”[4]

The album was the first recorded with the band's new lineup. Daniel Farrugia, the band's new drummer, had been the band's touring drummer for several years, filling in for Will Hull-Brown before his eventual departure.[1] Neda Rahmani was a longtime friend of the band for many years before joining. She stated that the decision to join the band was a "logical move, and made creative sense to me - I didn't need to deliberate over it for a second".[3] Before joining the band, Grace Barbé supported the band on their 2019 tour in Australia. Jamie Searle, a member of her band, learnt on that tour that some of the original members were planning to leave The Cat Empire, and suggested that Barbé would be a good candidate for the role of bass player.[5] Lazaro Numa joined The Empire Horns as a trumpeter after Ross Irwin heard his playing in "some of Australia's best Afro-Cuban bands".[6]

It is also the band's first release since 2003's The Cat Empire to be produced by Andy Baldwin. The album was recorded in the Merri-bek City Band Room, a community music space in Brunswick, which was still under construction during recording. The current iteration of the hall, which has existed in various forms since 1882, was set up by Phil Noy, a friend of the band who has played saxophone on several of their albums. Felix stated that "we made an album in the EGREM studios in Havana. [...] That studio had a beautiful roominess, something we were trying to recapture in the Merri-bek City Band Room." A total of 75 musicians appear on the album.[7] "Instead of layering up three horns a few times to get a nine-horn sound, we’d get nine horn players", Riebl stated.[3] "The space we'd chosen to work in allowed us to make a clear decision: no doubling things where we could help it. We just needed to book more musicians!”[8]

Composition

"Thunder Rumbles" was released as the first single from the album. A lyric from the song gives the album its title. It begins with a sousaphone riff, played by Jay Scarlett. The band described the lyrics as "a brawl of celebration", and the song as "high-octane from start to finish". Rahmani said that the song was "too much fun to record". The Horns of Leroy appear prominently on the track.[9]

"Boom Boom" is written about "a city of music reemerging," in the wake of the COVID-19 lockdowns of 2020 and 2021.

"Money Coming My Way" contains a guest appearance from the Heidelberg Wind Ensemble, who happened to be rehearsing in the space while the band was recording the song. Andy Baldwin, the producer, plays the role of the police officer in the song's bridge.[10]

The band described "Owl" as "the most epic, expansive song on the album". Jeff Jenkins of STACK called it "thrilling", and dubbed it the album's highlight.[11] It features Richard and Johnny Tedesco, flamenco musicians and friends of the band who make other appearances on the album.[12]

"Be With You Again" was written by Riebl about the death of his younger brother Max, who died at the age of 30 from an incurable cancer.[13] It features a Brazilian drumming section, conducted by Rahmani, and another appearance from the Heidelberg Wind Ensemble.[10] It is Riebl's favourite track on the album.[3]

The album's final track, "Drift Away", is a duet between Riebl and Barbé, who sings a verse in Seychellois Creole. It was influenced by the album An Evening with Belafonte/Mouskouri.[10]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Felix Riebl, except where noted.[14]

Where The Angels Fall track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Thunder Rumbles"Felix Riebl, Neda Rahmani2:55
2."Boom Boom"Riebl, Ollie McGill, Roscoe James Irwin3:05
3."Money Coming My Way"Riebl, McGill, Irwin, Andy Baldwin3:03
4."Deeper"Riebl, McGill3:23
5."Owl"Riebl, McGill, Irwin, Richard Tedesco5:16
6."Dance The Night Away" 3:49
7."Be With You Again" 4:34
8."Rock 'n' Roll"Riebl, Tedesco3:37
9."Coming Back Again" 4:11
10."West Sun" 3:07
11."Old Dog, New Trick"Riebl, McGill, Irwin3:23
12."Oh Mercy"Riebl, Rahmani, Harry James Angus4:51
13."Walls" 3:27
14."Drift Away"Riebl, Grace Barbé2:49
Total length:51:38

Personnel

Charts

References

  1. ^ a b Gallagher, Alex (13 May 2023). "The Cat Empire announce new album 'Where The Angels Fall' and share new single". NME. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  2. ^ a b "ARIA Top 20 Australian Albums for week of 4 September 2023". ARIA Charts. 4 September 2023. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d Kennedy, Jade (8 September 2023). "'Music Has Kind of Been a Godsend': How The Cat Empire Made Their Most Fun & Cathartic Album Yet". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
  4. ^ Gray, Geordie (16 September 2021). "The Cat Empire Announce Dissolution of Original Lineup". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  5. ^ Gordon, Bob (5 April 2023). "Grace Barbé is living the dream". X-Press Magazine. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  6. ^ Duguay, Rob (27 September 2023). "Interview: With A New Lineup & New Album, The Cat Empire Are Playing the Royale". Culture Beat. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  7. ^ Fosdike, Tahney (14 August 2023). "'Vibrant, colourful, overflowing': The Cat Empire are on the brink of a new era". Beat Magazine. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  8. ^ Lewis, Gabriel (20 September 2023). "Fresh Produce: The Cat Empire Strikes Back". Audio Technology. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  9. ^ Robinson, Ellie (2 April 2023). "The Cat Empire debut new band line-up, share single 'Thunder Rumbles'". NME. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  10. ^ a b c "Track By Track: The Cat Empire Break Down New Album 'Where The Angels Fall'". Music Feeds. 29 August 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  11. ^ Jenkins, Jeff (29 August 2023). "Does The Cat Empire's line-up revamp sink or support their ninth LP?". STACK. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  12. ^ "Go Behind-The-Scenes Of The Cat Empire's New Album 'Where The Angels Fall'". The Music. 25 August 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  13. ^ Andriani, Ria (3 May 2022). "Vale Australian Countertenor Max Riebl who has died at the age of 30". ABC Classic. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  14. ^ "The Cat Empire". APRA Works Search. Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 28 October 2023. Note: user may have to search again or reload the page multiple times.
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