Catalogue – Modern Delusion

My first thought while listening to the latest album, Modern Delusion, from the Marseille trio, Catalogue: An anxiety attack at the discotheque. Since releasing their debut EP Flying Until Hitting the Asphalt over a decade ago, the band have kept a consistent sound of their own while honing their talent for songwriting, which over time sounds more and more timeless.

The complex exchange of guitar and bass lines over the psycho-disco beats of the drum machine create a cold and brutalist landscape in which the voice and the synthesizers gracefully dance. We find ourselves somewhere between the funky and danceable Scottish post-punk of Gang of Four and the more modern no wave electro-punk of Adult.

I notice nevertheless that this time, the formation seems to have added a string to its bow by using a lot more synths than on their previous albums, thus bringing a more melodic and sometimes softer atmosphere to their often mechanical tones.

The punk-rockers among you will be pleased to know that the band have also included on this album a cover of “Kids of the black hole,” by classic American hardcore punk band Adolescents, which ends the album beautifully in a very energetic manner.