After making their live debut at a Sofar Sounds gig in March last year, alongside releasing their self-titled debut EP, Newcastle shoegaze/alt-rock trio Cat Ryan have just released their reverb-filled latest single, 'Mannerism'.
Who are you?
I'm Mary-Anne Murphy, I'm the vocalist, rhythm guitar player and synth player - I also play the banjo too.
Lucas Rothwell plays lead guitar in the band, and Simon Tarbox is our drummer.
Tell us something about yourself and how you came to be where you are today.
The three of us met at Newcastle University in our first year. Simon and I are studying the same course and were talking about music. He said he played guitar, but Lucas had already joined as lead guitarist - turned out that Simon also plays drums, so he became the drummer of Cat Ryan. We've played a few gigs, and have just released our single 'Mannerism' - we now have management, so we're working on lots for the future. We're still at university, so we're based in Newcastle upon Tyne, which is great as there are so many bands and venues; the music scene is really good in the city.
Give us an idea of your musical style and influences.
I'm a big fan of Vampire Weekend. Together we all like Wolf Alice, and how varied their music is. Viola Beach and Blossoms have also given us early indie influences. At the moment we have elements of indie, but some people also hear art-rock in our music. Indie/ alternative is probably the umbrella term for our musical style.
Explain the production and writing process behind your songs.
The song-writing process is slightly different each time, but usually starts with a melody being created on keyboard of guitar, and then I and the band add chords and layers to it, building it into a bigger, more fully-formed song. In terms of production, we have elements of a lo-fi, DIY band, but 'Mannerism' was produced by London-based producer Eliott Glinn.
Tell us a little about your new single.
'Mannerism' is a self-reflexive song based on the frustration of trying to read people, sometimes to the extent that it controls your everyday thoughts. It was written from whilst I was in university halls. I remember I was supposed to be going to Leeds to see friends and almost missed the train because I'd just come up with the song intro and was so excited that I just wanted to keep working on it. Later, when I came back to the song, I just picked up my banjo and started playing random notes over the bass-line. I was recording that when I accidentally knocked the delay know on the amp, which then sounded like the missing thing. So that's where the banjo melody in the song comes from.
Can we catch up with you at any forthcoming live shows?
We're playing Head of Steam in Newcastle promoted by Scruff of the Neck on 9 May. Since releasing 'Mannerism' we've had offers for gigs in Glasgow and London - so we'll be working on putting together some tour dates later in the year.
How's the first year of the new decade looking, plans-wise?
It's looking great! We've got a lot of material that will be re-mixed and mastered to be released during the year, as well as new songs to release too. We'll also be looking at playing gigs outside of Newcastle and confirm some festival appearances too.
Where can we hear more of your music?
Our music is out on pretty much all platforms, Spotify, SoundCloud, YouTube.
What social media platforms can we find you on?
Facebook // Twitter // Instagram
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