Album Review: Cat's Eyes - Cat's Eyes

An intriguing side-project for Faris Badwan of The Horrors, Cat's Eyes sees the distinctively-coiffed frontman collaborating with Canadian multi-instrumentalist Rachel Zeffira. The pair's self-titled debut is at times a world away from the nihilistic racket of Badwan's day job, its main influences being the bittersweet innocence of '60s girl groups and Phil Spector's oft-copied symphonic pop.

The title track kicks off proceedings with a pounding bassline intro that's oddly reminiscent of Super Furry Animals ‘Rings Around The World’. The vocal chemistry that underpins the album's best moments is immediately apparent, with Badwan taking the lead on this occasion, his deadpan delivery contrasting brilliantly with Zeffira’s little-girl-lost backing. Throw some (perhaps predictable) drum rolls into the mix, and it all adds up to a pleasantly auspicious opening.

The pace is slowed somewhat on the two subsequent numbers, with suitably yearning orchestration and the operatically-trained Zeffira’s melancholic vocals making for some genuinely affecting moments. On ‘I’m Not Stupid’ she's brilliantly cast as a despairing heroine who sighs and tells us that “I can see she’s better than me”. Not to be outdone, Badwan retaliates with the menacing ‘Face in The Crowd’, an infectious, Wall of Sound-infused gem that sees him antagonise his lover with a refrain of “You’re not anyone at all”. An earnest Zeffira then responds with ‘Not A Friend’, another beautifully restrained ballad on which a Pet Sounds-era Beach Boys influence seems apparent in the instrumentation. This back-and-forth melodrama continues throughout the record, and it's hard not to draw comparisons between this bickering couple (they must be a couple, right?) and Nancy & Lee in their prime.

Unfortunately, ‘Bandit’ and ‘Sooner or Later’ can't quite match their predecessors: the former meanders along awkwardly without ever quite hitting a biting point, whilst, for all of its brooding darkness, the latter descends into a difficult-to-decipher dirge.

Thankfully, then, ‘The Lull’ follows this up by making use of some exquisite strings and brass to pull the record back from the brink of a slump. The track sees Badwan apparently repenting for his earlier misdemeanours – unfortunately for him, though, it ends up being a case of 'too little, too late' as a rejuvenated Zeffira then tears through the self-explanatory ‘Over You’. The album's closing track proves to be a climax in every sense: Badwan licks his wounds on ‘I Knew It was Over’, as a swelling organ and ghostly backing vocals help to capture the emotion of his plight in what caps off a fine performance (a spectacular live rendition of this track, performed around a Vatican church organ, can be viewed on the band's website).

However unlikely the premise might have looked on paper – let's just say that The Horrors' forthcoming third LP probably won't contain much in the way of orchestral chamber pop – Cat's Eyes have come up trumps on their maiden album. Badwan is to be commended for bravely branching out on a record that underlines his increasing versatility as an artist, while Zeffira’s hyper-feminine style on many of the tracks evokes the aching fragility of Dusty Springfield. Wonderful stuff.