Simple by Nightmare and the Cat

Nightmare and the Cat | Simple | Rating: 10.2 / 11 |

Released: July 22, 2014

Nightmare and the Cat know how to write a song of all kinds: one that will make you think, one that will instantly get stuck in your head, one that will bring you to tears at its emotional relevance and one, most importantly, that will have you grooving in your chair unable to stop. And on July 22nd their highly anticipated debut album Simple will be released by Capitol Records allowing everyone to finally own, playback and repeat all those Nightmare and the Cat songs you loved at their live show (and there are many).

Lyrically this album will make you think about the human condition approaching topics like obsession, love and heartbreak and the constant back-and-forth decisions of life. Is anything ever really simple? Why do people prefer to go through life with tunnel vision? Can anyone really see us for who we are? Melodically these subjects are greeted with a twinkle of hope and lightheartedness as if to say nothing is ever that big of a deal and together, with every note played as an unit, we can get through anything. Simple.

No matter your mood, there’s a Nightmare and the Cat track to accommodate. For the more lazy river type of days you can turn to “Goodbye So Many Times” or “Alvarado” which is Django and Sam Stewart’s personal homage to Los Angeles (also excellent for driving along the streets of LA). For those moments you need to get pumped up “Desert Heir” is there. When you need a little bit of hope, there’s the all around beautiful “Mae” — especially dig on that subtly sweet guitar work. And for the heart-broken “X’s On Your Eyes” eerily flows like a page torn from your personal diary complete with musical accents & background harmonies acting as sympathetic outreach.

Simply put Nightmare and the Cat’s Simple is one of the best albums you’ll purchase in 2014 – from Django’s distinctly sweet and inviting vocal stylings to Sam’s basic-yet-impactful guitar accents that complete Scotty Henson & Spike Phillips rhythm section and even Claire Acey’s beautiful harmonies you will not stop dancing, singing, grooving or turning up the volume, so pick up a copy (or three) today!