WHEN news of Catholic Action’s new single arrived this week, it was hard not to get carried too away with the great sense of anticipation it brought with it. The band’s fervent fanbase will be pleased to know though that nearly two years after the release of their debut album and the Glasgow band are back and sounding more invigorated than ever before.
If ‘In Memory Of’ was wrly pointing towards what direction the band were heading in, then ‘One of Us’ confirms all our suspicions that they were onto something very special indeed. Loud, immediate and more creatively liberated than we’ve ever heard them before, the track is a direct and stabbing response to the tumultuous and worrying times we live in today.
Their angular approach to pop is still very much present correct, with its addictive vocals and sharp, incisive guitars, but it feels fresh, invigorated and vital than ever before. It’s a thrilling return from one of the city’s most exciting bands.
Frontman Chris McCrory said of the track ‘One of Us’ was written as a direct response to what I see happening in the UK – a country ravaged by poverty and a disintegrating social fabric of increasingly isolated and intoxicated people. A neglected group spun in circles by an uncaring billionaire-owned media, (mis)led into pointing the finger at one another as opposed to those truly responsible for this situation. A depressing but common problem in 2019…sound familiar?
This song is a comment on the aggressive divide and conquer politics that has kept this status quo of radical inequality in the UK firmly in place.
Keep the people divided, drugged and distracted. Racism, sectarianism, vodka, sexism, PornHub, classism, Remain or Leave, heroin, Netflix…Whatever works – just don’t let them rise above their station.
I believe people are good hearted at their core but are embittered and led astray by what they’re fed – what they’re seeing, hearing and being told. As long as we stay divided, nothing will ever change. So it’s pretty simple. If people want to shift the status quo they need to organise, come together and fight for equality – a way of life that’s positive, progressive and inclusive. We’re all human (apparently) after all.
So, are you one of them, or one of us?”
‘One of Us’ arrives with news of the band’s second album which will be called ‘Celebrated by Strangers’. It sees McCrory pick up producing duties once again from Hermitage Works in London and Shady Lane Studios in Erskine while it was mixed by Rich Turvey (Blossoms, Cabbage, The Coral) at Parr Street Studios in Liverpool.
