There’s quite a few artists in and around town where we’re constantly looking for an excuse to cover beyond a tag as part of some show or a random share on a Bandcamp Friday or something. Lowell’s Cat TV is one of those artists so we were overjoyed when an opportunity to check out their upcoming debut EP early presented itself and even more overjoyed when the six tracks within revealed themselves to be just the kind of stellar sonic nuggets we love to cover here.
Now onto the tunes! Fun In The Ghost Town is the name of this Cat TV game and fun is exactly what you’ll experience after you experience what’s on here! “Spiders” is haunting and the perfect alternative to the Summer sing-songy anthems soon to be making their way to your (un)willing earholes. Think of it as the antithesis of that kind of vibe. But in a good way with Caitlin Malcuit (Vox), Matthew MacDonald (Guitars), Jesse Buday (Guitars), Quinn Lawrence (Bass) and Stephen Herdegen (Drums) as your guides. And according to their Bandcamp bio, they all also play Bass. But not at the same time. At least it doesn’t sound that way on this release. What we’re trying to get at is if you’d a Bass fanatic then Cat TV is your new favorite band.
Moving on! “Girl” vibrates from the get-go, emanating a hypnotic hum that leads to Malcuit’s mesmerizing chorus and one of many a sing-a-long moment on Fun In The Ghost Town while “Baby I’m Down” is pure Punky pandemonium, creating a rousing racket with Herdegen’s relentless fills acting as the cement to bring Buday, Lawrence and MacDonald’s collective noise together. “Impostor!”, released early in 2025, fits in nicely with the rest of Fun In The Ghost Town on a smooth swaying anthem followed by the hard charging “JAG U R” that’s like Garage Rawk AC/DC with Malcuit’s meticulous meanderings birthed from a melting pot that includes Kate Pierson, Cindy Wilson and Debbie Harry. Maybe the most straightforward track on here is the most unlikely culprit of all with closer “Drugz N Alcohol” taking that title despite being built around a chorus which could very well be the second cousin to QOTSA’s “Feel Goof Hit Of The Summer”… but more infectious. Like all things Cat TV.
Fun In The Ghost Town is out on May 29th and you can find the copy that best suits your listening preferences by heading here. For more from Cat TV, including where to catch the band live next, hit the socials found when you click here or here.