Track listing
- 1 Intro 0:37
- 2 All Downhill From Here 3:12
- 3 This Disaster 3:08
- 4 Truth of My Youth 3:03
- 5 I Don't Wanna Know 3:30
- 6 Your Biggest Mistake 2:46
- 7 Doubt Full 3:35
- 8 Failure's Not Flattering 3:51
- 9 Over the Head, Below the Knees 3:39
- 10 Ending in Tragedy 3:30
- 11 At Least I'm Known for Something 3:31
- 12 Constant Static 3:11
- 13 No News Is Good News 2:58
- 14 Who Am I? 8:05
- Total length: 48:36
Rate/Catalog
Catalog
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Review
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5 Issues
12 Reviews
A very punky opening, but the album is full of energetic Pop-Punk. The songs are incredibly catchy featuring big tracks like "All Downhill From Here", "At Least I'm Known For Something" and "No News Is Good News". "Failure's Not Flattering" features some synths which is a bit oddball but works well.
Published
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A casualty to 2000s post-hardcore boon and maturing members, Catalyst is a step down from the two previous albums (though it would have been nearly impossible to top them). There's still some classic hardcore inflected pop-punk (Truth of my Youth, At Least I'm Known for Something) but many of these songs are darker, mid-tempo tracks. It feels like half of these tracks are ballad type songs. It's a good offering and I still love this album but a departure from their fun-in-the-sun youthful sound they started with.
Published
For an album that's a solid argument that Punk Pop is a genre album, it's sure hard to listen to it one sitting and it has nothing to do with the 17-track version.
Few fillers aside, there are plenty of good songs here that rely on more than the band's charisma. It stays intact here. Anyone who finds this a deviation from Sticks & Stones missed the point. They were one of the few Punk Pop bands who actually had elements of Emo, employing the sincerity, straight-forward but over-emotional lyrics and trying hard to be confessional without sounding overdramatic. The result was too charming and cute to dislike. So now they're more versatile, but "All Downhill From Here" does the same thing as "Singled Out". Besides, "Head On Collision" was the best song on the previous album.
This versatility allows them to rely on more than their sound. Each of these songs contain their usual charisma, but now they can do things with it. Just like "Head On Collision" was the highlight, their ballads are fantastic. "Ending in Tragedy", "I Don't Wanna Know" and the bonus track "Whisky Rose" all capture the fragility of youth, each in their way. One track is more dreamy and atmospheric. The latter has sadness and surrender, when things don't work out but you got nothing to do so the song refuse to explodes into a gigantic chorus.
Even in the age of 23, these songs still sound powerful. Although the band always sounded young, they also sound mature for their age, a kid who's always outside the circle. Later in life we still deal with heartbreaks, friends and such problems. The band isn't whiny, but take the subject matter seriously enough so even when they slam - "Your Biggest Mistake" (An example of moments where they actually went heavier) - it doesn't sound like a bunch of whiny kids who need to face 'real problems'.
Of course, the genre is in the end all about melodies and there are plenty of them. "All Downhill From Here" still sounds like the band's definitive statements, capturing the sadness, confusion and acceptance in one song while switching from anthemic to slamming. Putting it as an opener is a risk since it remains the highlight, but "This Disaster" is almost as good and nothing makes me wish to skip back to it.
Yet, although there are at least 5 great songs here and plenty of good ones, it's really hard to take it in one sitting. The production may have something to do with it. Maybe it's a victim of the loudness wars and too much in one go is heavy on the head. Nothing about these songs is monotonous. Some do sound good in context even if they're overall a failure - "Over the Head" is a decent idea with a melody that can't catch up. It's always close to sounding like a definitive album if only I could listen to it in one go without feeling weird.
Still, it has "All Downhill From Here", "This Disaster", "Your Biggest Mistake", "Constant Static - there's plenty to take from here.
Few fillers aside, there are plenty of good songs here that rely on more than the band's charisma. It stays intact here. Anyone who finds this a deviation from Sticks & Stones missed the point. They were one of the few Punk Pop bands who actually had elements of Emo, employing the sincerity, straight-forward but over-emotional lyrics and trying hard to be confessional without sounding overdramatic. The result was too charming and cute to dislike. So now they're more versatile, but "All Downhill From Here" does the same thing as "Singled Out". Besides, "Head On Collision" was the best song on the previous album.
This versatility allows them to rely on more than their sound. Each of these songs contain their usual charisma, but now they can do things with it. Just like "Head On Collision" was the highlight, their ballads are fantastic. "Ending in Tragedy", "I Don't Wanna Know" and the bonus track "Whisky Rose" all capture the fragility of youth, each in their way. One track is more dreamy and atmospheric. The latter has sadness and surrender, when things don't work out but you got nothing to do so the song refuse to explodes into a gigantic chorus.
Even in the age of 23, these songs still sound powerful. Although the band always sounded young, they also sound mature for their age, a kid who's always outside the circle. Later in life we still deal with heartbreaks, friends and such problems. The band isn't whiny, but take the subject matter seriously enough so even when they slam - "Your Biggest Mistake" (An example of moments where they actually went heavier) - it doesn't sound like a bunch of whiny kids who need to face 'real problems'.
Of course, the genre is in the end all about melodies and there are plenty of them. "All Downhill From Here" still sounds like the band's definitive statements, capturing the sadness, confusion and acceptance in one song while switching from anthemic to slamming. Putting it as an opener is a risk since it remains the highlight, but "This Disaster" is almost as good and nothing makes me wish to skip back to it.
Yet, although there are at least 5 great songs here and plenty of good ones, it's really hard to take it in one sitting. The production may have something to do with it. Maybe it's a victim of the loudness wars and too much in one go is heavy on the head. Nothing about these songs is monotonous. Some do sound good in context even if they're overall a failure - "Over the Head" is a decent idea with a melody that can't catch up. It's always close to sounding like a definitive album if only I could listen to it in one go without feeling weird.
Still, it has "All Downhill From Here", "This Disaster", "Your Biggest Mistake", "Constant Static - there's plenty to take from here.
Published
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1
Intro
-
2
All Downhill From Here
-
3
This Disaster
-
4
Truth of My Youth
-
5
I Don't Wanna Know
-
6
Your Biggest Mistake
-
7
Doubt Full
-
8
Failure's Not Flattering
-
9
Over the Head, Below the Knees
-
10
Ending in Tragedy
-
11
At Least I'm Known for Something
-
12
Constant Static
-
13
No News Is Good News
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14
Who Am I?
Best songs: All
Published
Coming off of Sticks and Stones, this is a disappointment. It is still a very strong effort though and somewhat of a more serious direction for the band. I don't expect this band to ever reach the heights they did with Sticks and Stones again but they did a good job with this one. "No News Is Good News" is one of my favorite NFG songs. Not their best effort, but it's up there.
Published
Finally, I work out what too much sugar is! It's always been my motto that there's no melody too saccharine when it's wedded to big crunchy power-chords and studio polish, which is one reason I’ve never really tried to get involved in my local punk 'scene' – how can I pretend to be all Sid Vicious when they find out I'm bumpin' Belinda Carlisle's work constantly?? I never thought a punk-pop album could be too sugary, too overproduced, too precise in its songwriting.
But with this album, NFG found my saturation point. 'Truth Of My Youth' is a perfect illustration, the song is just structured with hook after hook, but it's too polished and the vocals are too pitch-perfect; it leaves no impression. It's like a pleasantly forgettable meal. I'm not saying this is a totally weak album, 'All Downhill From Here' is one of the best NFG songs after all, the 'Intro' is an amazing fusion of hardcore and their normal brand of power-punk (and in less than 40 seconds!) and 'Failure's Not Flattering' sees a heavy new wave influence cover the whole mess with dance-y keyboards. But most of the songs are so shiny and painstakingly arranged there's just no energy to make them stick out. It's like a sunnier version of the Goo Goo Dolls' Gutterflower with faster tempos.
The lyrically dark 'No News Is Good News' sees them take their posi-core perspective to a wider political subject, but mainly it's the standard NFG shit: love girl, heart breaks, cry lots, listen to records.
The two records preceding this are modern day pop-punk classics which, for better or for worse, helped to directly shape the sound of a whole genre for a while. In around 20 or so years when some kid who had his first crush to an NFG song is editor of Rolling Stone, maybe they'll get the props they deserve. This doesn't deserve to stand with them. Hell, their covers EP From The Screen To Your Stereo is a more compelling listen. But it's still not as soulless and bland as pop-hardcore can get. Not by a long way... and it deserves a bit of slack for that.
But with this album, NFG found my saturation point. 'Truth Of My Youth' is a perfect illustration, the song is just structured with hook after hook, but it's too polished and the vocals are too pitch-perfect; it leaves no impression. It's like a pleasantly forgettable meal. I'm not saying this is a totally weak album, 'All Downhill From Here' is one of the best NFG songs after all, the 'Intro' is an amazing fusion of hardcore and their normal brand of power-punk (and in less than 40 seconds!) and 'Failure's Not Flattering' sees a heavy new wave influence cover the whole mess with dance-y keyboards. But most of the songs are so shiny and painstakingly arranged there's just no energy to make them stick out. It's like a sunnier version of the Goo Goo Dolls' Gutterflower with faster tempos.
The lyrically dark 'No News Is Good News' sees them take their posi-core perspective to a wider political subject, but mainly it's the standard NFG shit: love girl, heart breaks, cry lots, listen to records.
The two records preceding this are modern day pop-punk classics which, for better or for worse, helped to directly shape the sound of a whole genre for a while. In around 20 or so years when some kid who had his first crush to an NFG song is editor of Rolling Stone, maybe they'll get the props they deserve. This doesn't deserve to stand with them. Hell, their covers EP From The Screen To Your Stereo is a more compelling listen. But it's still not as soulless and bland as pop-hardcore can get. Not by a long way... and it deserves a bit of slack for that.
Published
i like "failure's not flattering" and "your biggest mistake"
catchy, but they parts of them get under your skin
nothing wrong with that at all, I LIKE IT
catchy, but they parts of them get under your skin
nothing wrong with that at all, I LIKE IT
Published
It had some good songs, but not enough to be a solid album. This is my least favorite album from the band.
Published
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Catalog
15 Apr 2024
8 Apr 2024
3 Apr 2024
28 Mar 2024
-
1
Intro
-
2
All Downhill From Here
-
3
This Disaster
-
4
Truth of My Youth
-
5
I Don't Wanna Know
-
6
Your Biggest Mistake
-
7
Doubt Full
-
8
Failure's Not Flattering
-
9
Over the Head, Below the Knees
-
10
Ending in Tragedy
-
11
At Least I'm Known for Something
-
12
Constant Static
-
13
No News Is Good News
-
14
Who Am I?
26 Mar 2024
22 Mar 2024
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1
Intro
-
2
All Downhill From Here
-
3 This Disaster
-
4
Truth of My Youth
-
5 I Don't Wanna Know
-
6 Your Biggest Mistake
-
7 Doubt Full
-
8 Failure's Not Flattering
-
9 Over the Head, Below the Knees
-
10 Ending in Tragedy
-
11 At Least I'm Known for Something
-
12 Constant Static
-
13 No News Is Good News
-
14 Who Am I?
17 Mar 2024
11 Mar 2024
29 Feb 2024
28 Feb 2024
8 Feb 2024
-
1 Intro
-
2
All Downhill From Here
-
3
This Disaster
-
4
Truth of My Youth
-
5
I Don't Wanna Know
-
6
Your Biggest Mistake
-
7
Doubt Full
-
8
Failure's Not Flattering
-
9
Over the Head, Below the Knees
-
10
Ending in Tragedy
-
11
At Least I'm Known for Something
-
12
I'd Kill to Fall Asleep
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13
No News Is Good News
-
14
Radio Adelaide [bonus track]
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15
Who Am I
4 Feb 2024
31 Jan 2024
7 Jan 2024
5 Jan 2024
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