The Catch - Get Cool (CD)

All Music Guide

The debut album by allfemale poppunk quartet the Catch has much of the herkyjerky quality of the new wave revival: on opening track "Nothin' But Time," lead singer Carly Nicklaus slips into a Lene Lovichlike yelp, and throughout the album, Amy Rockwell's keyboards have that classically early'80s cheap Farfisa knockoff sound. But Get Cool isn't merely a retro exercise, because these songs sit comfortably within the current indie pop framework as well. "Between Friends" has the adrenaline pure pop rush and unexpected dynamic shifts of a classic New Pornographers single, and Nicklaus' vocals occasionally recall Metric's Emily Haines in their blend of wideeyed innocence and deadpan cynicism, as on the album highlight, "Empty Your Pockets." At ten songs in just over half an hour, Get Cool doesn't have time for filler or good ideas that run on too long, and it's a bracing blend of old and new that bodes well for the Catch's future.

- Stewart Mason, All Music Guide