John-Well, always good to run into an old "acquaintance"
James-God, I fucking hate you
John-hahahahaha

"Without You" is quickly becoming popular among British/European youths, and has had better chart success, reaching the 80's in England and the 60's in continental Europe. Here's a recent online interview with the band-

Q-Always good talking to a new band. What have you guys been listening to lately?

Ashley-Lots of my usual stuff, tons of Pop-Punk from this decade, Fall Out Boy, Paramore exc.. I've recently really gotten into Nirvana too. They're really the band that started it all in terms of grunge, which is a lot of what we do, even though we kind of come at it from a different angle.

James-I've had Oasis' "Champaign Supernova" on repeat.

Q-What kinds of music is Catharsis intersted in in general?

James-We like the pop-punk, and grunge. Emotianal, accessible music. Plus stuff that sounds good when you're high.

Ashley-James is still a work in progress. *he glares at her*

Q-What are the general goals you have in the studio?

Ashley-We just want to make music that touches people. Reminds them of old favorites and helps them make new memories. And we always want to please our fans. A lot of rock music today has this faux-artistic exterior that really sucks all the joy out of the music. That's why we're called Catharsis, we want to be people's means of fun and relaxation.

Andy-We want people to love it. I don't care about the press, I just want to satistfy our current following, and help it grow.

James-People are always trying to go back and imitate older stuff. The glory days, for me, was the Grunge of the 90's, and punk, as long as the bands didn't just want to make noise and make a goddamned political statement. I want to keep our influences new so that we can move forward.

Q-So you don't like Classic Rock?-

James-Obviously, those bands were huge and influencial, and you have to tip your hat to them, but people forget how bring so much of it was. And in the 70's so many bands got stuck on the whole "artisan" thing Ashley was talking about, trying to impress Andy Warhol and Godard and stuff. Don't even get me started on Pink Floyd, they were one of the few things Johnny Rotten was right about.

Q-There's been some mild buzz about a feud between you guys and John York, the guitarist from the indie band, uhhh..........."The Band". We know how British bands love to go at it.

James-Look, I knew York back in our boyhood days in Yorkshire, and the guy's exactly the same now as he was then, a psuedo-intellectual Tory. He thinks because he's studied music theory he's suddenly the best songwriter in the world. Well, I never spent a fucking day in a music class, and I'll write more hits thanhe will, I promise you.

Ashley-James always is so blunt. They have different goals then we do, they want to impress critics, we want to impress the public. I don't mean that in a bad way. I don't mind John, he's certainly improved from his youth, and the ego is just kind of cute now.

Q-When can we expect an album

Ashley-One should be out in the Summer. I enjoyed the interview

OOC-My RP's with these guys are going to get better. I was stressing about other stuff and couldn't really think of much for the first single, but my album description will be as in-depth as with The Band.

Welcome Everyone, to RADIO MANCHESTER. Here we have with us one of England's latest sensations, their song without you has been heavily featured in popular media, and reached top 20's throughout Europe. Welcome, Catharsis.

*Catharsis sits in the studio. They're being forced to use cheap equitment due to time and space constraints, but it still sounds solid, and brings in an unintentional low-fi vibe. Gothom's vocals aren't great today, especially for a ballad, but she bellows the song with passion. Studio personel play synths in the background, replacing the strings. Practice beforehand was supervised by the band to ensure the right sound. James screws up on guitar at the end of the song, and lets out a barely audible grown, even though only the most trained ear would notice.*

DJ-Great job, guys. When can we Expect a new album?
Ashley-Maybe July, or late June.
DJ-You know, if you guys ever need another member, I'm always here, I could jam with you guys.
James-Are you a rhythm guitarist or bass player?
DJ-I play bassoon
James-A total dad-rock intrument
DJ-Really?
James-No, it's just always good to make fun of middle aged men.
Ashley-Charming
DJ-Play another song before you go?
Ashley-Sure
DJ-What's it called?
Ashley-It's a new one, it's called uhhh, GoodSong
DJ-Uhhhhh, okay

*The song is a raucous pop-punk rocker. It's not fully complete, so after about two minutes it descends into an extended jam. James uses a vareity of affects and plays excellently. Ashley starts using a percussion instrument to add in to the rhythm section.*

DJ-Thanks guys. Up next we've got more modern rock hits, and later they'll be another interview with Solomon Baker about his New Age EP..............

Erich: anyone who looks at pink floyd with disdain is fine by me.

Ashley-The album has been completed ahead of schedule. We are excited about it, there's a pretty big punk influence and a bit of eclecticism, which should be interesting. The songs are very simple and melodic. It's coming out June 3, so it's not as long of a wait as was anticipated. Very big news for us. We're hoping to really own the spotlight around that time.

Ashley-So, I can assume most of you know about the recent devolopments. I think The Band's decision to move their album back was a mistake, and that it was done purely for attention. It wouldn't surprise me if Kim Black made the call, as it's more like something she would do than John. I have no problems with them otherwise, they're good live and have a couple good songs. So buy their record if you want, but buy ours first please.

"The Beginning of Things" has been realeased as the lead single from the album of the same name, which shall be realeased on Friday. Here is the description-

The Beginning of Things-3:23-written by James White and Andy Brown-The song opens with a light guitar riff that is about as poppy as Catharsis will ever get. Heavier guitars fade in a fast simple style reminiscent of Pop-punk, but also with some grunge, wall of sound type heaviness. The opening riff quickly becomes inaudible. Ashley sings in clean vocals on the verses. The chorus slows down, and becomes slightly less heavy, with a piano part coming in over the guitars. The riff is also more complex on the chorus. The final verse of the song is stripped down, with only acoustic guitar. Following this verse, a melodic solo is played by James, which wouldn't be particularly racous if the amplifiers weren't turned up to max. The chorus is played one final time, with Ashley repeating the final line acapella as the song fades out. The lyrics are extremely optimistic and focus on the hope of the future. A music video has been produced. It features Ashley and James playing the song while riding in a car. It also has a wacky animated segement.

The new album, The Beginning of Things, IS HERE!!!!! We’re hoping for a big commercial response. We plan on enjoying our inevitable victory over The Band in the worldwide charts.
Tracklisting
All songs written by James White and Andy Brown.
1.The Beginning of Things-3:23
2.Without You-3:28
3.Reversal of Fortune-4:18
4.Bird in this World-4:27
5.Loaded-5:08
6.Excert from A Modern Symphony regarding the Bitch of Manchester (Part 1)- 0:55
7.GoodSong-5:18
8.Cuz I Said So-4:21
9.NiceSong-3:40
10.Treachery-4:33
11.Excert from A Modern Day Symphony Regarding the Bitch of Manchester- 1:09
12. My Stash-2:38

Album art-
The cover has Ashley and James crossing a street, casually passing each other. Inside the booklet there are black and white photos of the group in various poses.

Critical response-
The album has been well received in the underground/Pop-punk community. “higher-end” outlets like Pitchfork have been more critical, and the British press has been mixed. The album has been praised as “relentless, while also being surprisingly eclectic” while it has received critisims typical of those normally received by Pop-punk as a genre. Critics have also both praised and bashed the simple song structres. Most every repeats a verse/bridge/chorus twice, prior to an instrumental and final chorus.

Rolling Stone-3/5
Pitchfork-1.5/10
Robert Christgau-thumbs down
NME-3/5
Q-2/5
Spin-3/5
Allmusic-2/5
Kerrang!-5/5
Entertainment Weekly-B+
Billboard-4/5

Creative Breakdown-
Andy managed the drum beats and rhythm. James consructed the songs. This album is essentially his world. Enter at your own risk. James and Andy essentially penned the lyrics themselves, although Ashley had some imput.

Album description-
The first two songs are described above
3.Reversal of Fortune- The song is a power-ballad. After a few seconds of studio noise, the song moves into an acoustic arrangement, with the focus being on a violin solo by a session musiscian. A wall of noise comes in for the chorus, but the Ashley’s vocals allow the song to keep it’s sensitive nature. A simple, but sloppy guitar solo is quickly interrupted by soft strings, and the final verse is louder, with both guitars and an orchestra, and features simple harmonies. The lyrics describe the sudden end of a relationship.

4.Bird In This World- Another ballad, the verses are built around acoustic guitar and the low growl of chellos. The bridge and chorus feature heavy grunge guitars. After the second chorus, the song abruptly switches to a soft, slow piano piece, before the final chorus. The guitars are not as heavy the last time around, having a more melodic, Britpoppy quality. The lyrics question how a relationship can last if one of its members is so non-conformist

5.Loaded-This song is pure chaos. It is in a pop-punk arrangement, with heavy distortion. It is designed to intentionally sound like a mess. A brief jam is included at the end. The song is intended to reproduce the sensation of being drunk.

6.Excert from A Modern Symphony regarding the Bitch of Manchester (Part 1)- Ashley sings just one verse from a very long, unrealeased piece. Her vocals are huskier than usual. It features acoustic guitar and psychadelic sounds.

7. GoodSong has been partially described above. It starts as a raucous pop-punk song with a few elctronic beats and a guitar solo. It ends in an extended dance-jam segment. The lyrics are silliness; they just depict a love of music, and a cockiness about the quality of their own.

8.Cuz I Said So- The song is built around layers and layers of high-pitched, shrieking guitars. It is one again a chaotic mess. Ashley’s vocals are extremely high. The chorus has a backdrop of distorted strings with a druggy sound. James plays a melodic solo that sounds like something out of a pop song. The lyrics focus on a person complaining that she can never get what she wants out of life due to various obstacles from soceity.

9. After a very brief acoustic intro, the song moves into it’s chaotic opening verse. It is similar in style to the other material on the album. The chorus is heavily produced. The guitar takes on a bluesier sound, and there is a up-tempo piano part. There are also electronic sounds, some of which take on a clean pro-tools type sound, while others are trippier. The song has a bizzarre conclusion, where horns enter, and Ashley imitates traditonal pop vocals. The lyrics are similaiar to those of “GoodSong”. It is essentially sweet nothings played for comedic effect.

10. Treachery-The songs verses contain nothing but Ashley’s vocals and a quiet electric guitar. The chorus brings in a grunge-like wall of sound, but it is still piano driven. Strings connect the last two chorus’s, and continue for a brief instrumental to end the song.

11. Excert from A Modern Symphony regarding the Bitch of Manchester (Part 2)- This part of the song includes heavy strings, as well as aggressive guitars. The pshychadelic sounds continue. It continues in essentially mocking the looseness of a woman.

12. My Stash- This song is different than anything else on the album. It is a dance-pop song with a programmed beat, heavy use of synths, and a lighter guitar part. The lyrics comically bash a woman for stealing her boyfriend’s drugs.

Ashley-Oh, thank you. We were hoping for a better response than we got, but it's good to hear praise from our peers.
James-Yeah, you kick ass.......

Catharsis will realease "Reversal of Fortune" as the second single from their new album. Let's see how it charts.