Fantastic Cat Refine Their Collective Harmonic Sound On ‘Cat Out of Hell’ (ALBUM REVIEW)

On the first two Fantastic Cat records, the quartet of singer-songwriters (Anthony D’Amato, Brian Dunne, Don DiLego, and Mike Montali) brought their own styles successfully into a band setting. However, on their third album, the cheekily titled Cat Out of Hell, Fantastic Cat feels like a long-running, well-oiled, veteran outfit.

Things are more fluid as individual contributions have melded, crafting an overall, interlocking sound. The extremely well-produced album adds sonic touches like strings, harpsichord, and tambourines to spruce up the group’s solid base of indie/folk rock tunes, all delivered with pristine harmonies and evocative lyrics.

Opening exuberantly with “Donnie Takes the Bus”, Fantastic Cat drops into a cheery, head-bopping sing-along that floats along merrily with “la-la-las” and sweet whistling, kicking off the album on a high note. The folk-rocking, up-and-down jangling journey of “Elevators” takes listeners on a ride, while weepy, warbling guitars color the slower “Back to the Beginning,” which has a Mazzy Star meets The Jayhawks vibe flowing throughout. 

The band ingests their influences and repurposes them, easily floating along with dynamite harmonies in the vein of Dr. Dog (noticeably on the excellently weary, “Turn Off The Lights”) while late 80’s, early 90’s Bruce Springsteen colors quite a few tracks, such as the pulsing/angsty “The Waiting Room” and the earnest heartland rock of “Spoke to God a Lot Last Year” which works with a great beat and bright guitars.        

The album highlight arrives via “Don’t Let Go,” which plays to all the band’s strengths as echoing vocals cascade and flow around the vibrant beat that builds to anthemic heights. The slow waltzing, string-supplemented swelling of “Mona Be Still” is also a winner as the languid love song soars, feeling timeless.

On the flipside, the frantic “How’s That Working Out” is a touch out of place with its twitchy distorted vocals, galloping drums, and sketchy druggie tale. The Americana upbeat rocker “L U C Y” is more in the band’s wheelhouse with perfect harmonies, clever lyrics, stomping drums, and shaking tambourines. Closing with the swaying acoustic effort, “Ain’t Nobody Better,” the quartet wraps things up with a breathy, swirling effort that punctuates a confident record.  

Cat Out of Hell from Fantastic Cat is a well-produced collection that finds the band assuredly growing closer, cohesively evolving while maintaining what makes them exciting at their core.