We’re not actually too familiar with the correlations that may or may not exist between regional math rock and religion. We’d never even really thought about it, and now that we are, we don’t want to approach that subject with a ten foot yardstick.
That being said if you’re in the US and find yourself out there on the East Coast or New England areas, you’ve probably met a fair share of Catholics, but if you haven’t, don’t worry, we’re about to introduce you to the best of the bunch: Catholics.
The band actually put out their first single in years with your truly on our most recent compilation IX: U.S. East Coast // Midwest, and they’re actually putting the next one out right here, right now:
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“Now That We’re All Here, We’re Not All There” is classic Catholic spitfire when it comes to the guitar, but has some striking orchestral accents lurking in the wait. It’s not their presence that’s a huge surprise, it’s their depth. Catholics, like their regional peers Cuzco and Clever Girl, have always made smart use of instrumentation, so we shouldn’t be surprised, but it seems like the collective is very much on the same page as far as what emotion to wring out for all it’s worth. It’s also classic Catholics, which means even with the added heft, it’s still a lot of fun.
Actually, we had a pretty stellar chat with Tyler recently about all things Catholics, and there are a couple things we know you’re going to want to hear about, including an upcoming split and the reunion of a band very close to Catholics that went way before their time… you heard it here first!
FB: Technically, it’s been a while since we heard from Catholics! Other than, you know, being on our latest compilation with the new single, new lineup, etc., but now you’ve got another one here as well. Are you already exhausted?
Tyler: I know, it’s exciting being in another album cycle after so long! I’m sure there’s a cliché for just how tired we feel just being 30 something’s. However, I do think we are feeling invigorated as we gear up to release. The new lineup is awesome. Shafer and Josh used to play in a band called An Era of Echoes together and we are long time buds (16 years or so) so we always joke that Catholics is now 2/4ths of AEOE. Shafer also used to play in an emo band called Clearing up in Boston, as well as The Tree that Falls. Definitely check them all out. This next single is probably my favorite song on the record, and likely the ethos for Shafer becoming a full fledged member. It’s titled “Now That We’re All Here, We’re Not All There,” and is a Muppet Treasure Island reference for good measure. No album is complete without one.
Shafer: It’s such an awesome feeling to finally get these songs out into the world! If anything, I think it’s given us a big ol’ boost of energy and inspired us to write and experiment more. We have a ton of material to track in the next few months, but we’re still throwing ideas around and seeing where they lead us.
FB: In fact before we move on, we have to mention that your cat was seen on Instagram promoting the comp – other than Catholics of course, do you find your cat has any particular response to any of the songs on the comp?
I think Mew is our unofficial mascot, she has a feature and her own song on the upcoming album, she used Shafer as a conduit. But back to the comp… So I asked her and she really liked Inoculous, Of Two Minds, Horse Torso, and Medians. She gave us one of her signature chirps for each of them so they should feel honored.
Shafer: I’m like.. 99% sure that she fell asleep during our song, but she helped produce it so we’ll give her a pass. I can confirm that she is also a big fan of Youth League and Antinomie.
FB: Are you still writing new music or are you more focused on coordinating releases?
Tyler: A lotta bit of both, we have the album and we also have a split planned with Prinze Jr from Jacksonville. On the, “new new,” music front we honestly have more than we know what to do with so we are chipping away at the songs that are leading the pack. We are just about to start tracking.
Shafer: You never know when you’re gonna catch an idea, so even though we’re currently gearing up for Synonyms of Void to be released, we’re constantly coming up with parts that’ll (eventually) become new songs and brainstorming where we want to go next.
FB: Sometimes writing music can be such an involved process, especially in math rock – how does a Catholics song come together? Does it stem from something refined from one original take or are the songs more compiled as ideas are fleshed out?
Tyler: In a variety of ways. I’d have to say the really cool thing about this lineup is that we are all writing songs and feeding off of / taking influence from each other. That being said sometimes we individually write whole songs and bring them to the table and hone and produce a v1 demo sometimes we write them in the room together. I usually start by working from riff folders in my phone and I compile riffs I think go together. For our next single, “Now that we’re all here we’re not all there,” it’s almost the same song we received in demo form. Shafer has been working with Catholics since the beginning, he actually wrote part of our song “Chicago on Meth: Scene two.”
Shafer: Me, I usually fumble around on the guitar until I find something that makes me go “oh dang, I think that’s cool?” and then build a song around whatever part comes of it. I like to get as much of the “big picture” out as quick as possible, so I’ll track demo guitars in Logic, probably write a rudimentary bass part for Josh to expand upon, program some drums.. maybe do a mock-up with strings/horns/woodwinds/aux perc if I’m really feeling like they’ll add something neat to the song. Then I’ll do a rough mix/master and cross my fingers that we’ll all dig it – and, if there’s anything we want to tweak, we can just open up the session and workshop it until we’re all happy. We started doing that for a bunch of the next round of releases, and it’s been really cool. That being said, there’s nothing like being in a room with the band, jamming on some randomness and all of us stumbling upon the next idea. We all have our own unique “feel” and approach to songwriting, so it’s really exciting when it all comes together. Even better when we can include our friends!
FB: We are still fairly bummed about Cuzco breaking up – was there a story to how you guys ended up doing a split together or was it a right place, right time kind of thing?
Tyler: Cuzco are our “ride or die,” homies. That’s forever. I think it was right place right time and proximity. Our friendship started when I met Will before either band (Cuzco or Catholics) even existed. He was playing a show at Petra’s in Charlotte with his old band the Business People. What ensued I consider some of the best years of my life thus far. They were on Refresh Records and got us in touch with Josh and I think I just talked my way onto the label after that (thanks for believing in us Josh!). But we did everything together and I think I’ll always miss that. I also had the distinct honor of producing and co-engineering what was their final record.
Personally I’d keep my ears to the ground… they’re making new music but Arman will be living in Philly.
FB: There’s been a ton of debate lately over what matters in terms of guitar tone – is it wood, is it pickups, is it the amp, etc. Do you find yourself favoring any particular gear when it comes to Catholics?
Tyler: Welp, you got me here! I’m absolutely a gear head and I’m pretty obsessed with having a wide palette. I think we generally lean towards the single coil sound for cleans with the occasional P-90 thrown into the mix. I use custom Zang amps based out of Savannah, which is a quick hop and jump from Charleston; Wes is a good friend who does all my amp work. Dude is a genius.
Shafer: Squier Classic Vibe ‘60s Telecaster. All stock, no shame.
FB: It would be hard to describe how different the world was in 2019 when Would you say that you have picked up any new influences over the past few years?
Tyler: The Six Parts Seven is a mainstay for me, but I think if I had to give a shortlist it’d be: Do Make Say Think, Pretend, Balmorhea, and honestly various pop for different sound design stuff. I’ve definitely been on the Chappel Roan and Sabrina Carpenter trains. I dig stuff that hits hard. I think that my perception has changed greatly. I have Shafer (guitar) and Josh (bass/guitar) to thank for that. They know infinitely more than I do about the inner workings of music and I do my best to absorb what they teach me. I also owe a great deal of that to Arman from Cuzco and Daphne from Countdown From Ten / Alright, Goodnight. I went to Philly about six times in 2021 and those sessions laid the foundation for this record. Arman stepped in on guitar duties for a while and helped write what became the final track on our upcoming album. All of my friends who have been involved have influenced me more than any one band I’d have to say.
Shafer: Lately, I’ve been diving into some older blues/folk – especially artists like Mississippi John Hurt, Townes Van Zandt, and Blaze Foley. Learning their songs has really helped develop my approach to fingerstyle; I just think it’s just so smooth and tasteful. Caroline Shaw’s work has inspired me a lot over the past few years, especially her album Orange. And Jóhann Jóhannsson’s Drone Mass absolutely broke me. Both are so incredibly beautiful.
FB: If you can tell us, what’s next for Catholics?
Tyler: We actually have vinyl for our LP Synonyms of Void on the way as we speak, big huge thanks to our homie Logan from Gillian Carter who we owe so much to including our artwork. Beyond that we just want to release as much music as we can and play as many sweet shows with our friends as we can. We are planning an October run in the Carolinas with Yerfdaas and a run out West this winter. We have some really cool plans for how the next releases following the album and the split will roll out. It’s always interesting being in one album cycle and planning for the next. I remember reading an interview where Gerard Way talked about how far in advance he plans things and I kind of work similarly just not as profoundly, hahaha.
Shafer: I think we’re gonna try and get real weird with it, but probably not all at once. Or maybe we will. I don’t really know.
So there you have it – a tour announcement, a new single, vinyl for the new album, CUZCO MAKING MUSIC AGAIN, and a split coming up with Prinze Jr. Lord have mercy. In the meantime, check out more from the band here.
(Thanks for reading! If you’re looking for more music, check out our Bandcamp compilations here. If you like us, or possibly even love us, donations are always appreciated at the Buy Me A Coffee page here, but if you’re in a generous mood you can also donate to folks like Doctors Without Borders, PCRF, and Best Friends Animal Society that could probably use it more. Thanks again!)