The Balcony
by Catfish and the Bottlemen
User Score
7.2

Generally favorable reviews- based on 51 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 36 out of 51
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 51
  3. Negative: 8 out of 51
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this album

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. emilyc
    Sep 1, 2019
    6
    had lots of potential tracks like pacifier are amazing has lots of potential to be an amazing band but unfortunately continued to make all their songs sound the same
  2. meshiks
    Mar 20, 2019
    8
    esse album me tras nostalgias, produção fantastica, melodia fantastica, aaa
  3. MISFIRESMERT
    Apr 5, 2016
    8
    The debut album 'The Balcony' embraces indie rock culture in the same way The Strokes did. However the album gets repetitive quite quickly but redeems itself with the stadium anthem 'Tyrants'.

    Van describes the main focus of the songs as being centered on escaping the small town of which he was born, for anyone who also lives in a two star town like myself 'Rango' seems to be the    The debut album 'The Balcony' embraces indie rock culture in the same way The Strokes did. However the album gets repetitive quite quickly but redeems itself with the stadium anthem 'Tyrants'.

    Van describes the main focus of the songs as being centered on escaping the small town of which he was born, for anyone who also lives in a two star town like myself 'Rango' seems to be the favourite.

    However my favorite song on the debut has got to be 'Homesick', form a seemingly timid melody line the song explodes into something truly unique.

    Catfish have a long road ahead and this debut has them on track to making a mark in the history books.
    8/10    … Expand
  4. asbks123
    Mar 21, 2016
    9
    Catfish and The Bottlemen are the Oasis of their day. In the 90's, the critics whined about the Gallagher brothers and cast them aside as reactionaries. Despite these protests from the press, Oasis connected with the masses and their tunes became classics. It seems that the Catfish army may have the same gift. Suddenly, the boys from Wales are the hottest thing in indie. This strong debutCatfish and The Bottlemen are the Oasis of their day. In the 90's, the critics whined about the Gallagher brothers and cast them aside as reactionaries. Despite these protests from the press, Oasis connected with the masses and their tunes became classics. It seems that the Catfish army may have the same gift. Suddenly, the boys from Wales are the hottest thing in indie. This strong debut is fueling the fire. Personally, I'm appalled by the negative reviews on this website. For the life of me, I can't make any sense of them.… Expand
  5. nuggets1011
    Feb 27, 2016
    10
    Honestly when i first listened to them i didn't really enjoy their music, that was more than a year ago. i decided to check them out again and i dont understand why i didn't like them in the first place! their songs are catchy with lyrics you just wanna scream out! deffo 10/10
  6. colen
    Feb 4, 2016
    6
    very samey throughout, same feel, same tone. two or three tracks stand out only because the rest is lack lustre in comparison. the album is redeemed somewhat by the consistent vocals. front man has a powerful voice in spite of so-so songwriting
  7. giagiagia
    Nov 14, 2015
    10
    It's nothing new and nothing original, but what is completely original in 2015? The Bottlemen release an album full of sing-along hits for young people. Like it or not.
  8. Jacklunn
    Oct 9, 2015
    0
    Washed out, bland, boring. The worst popular indie rock has to offer, if these guys can make it then I worry for Indie music. Who is rating this album a 10? seek help - musically speaking.
  9. himynameiswill
    Sep 14, 2015
    3
    User score inflated by people that have no idea what a 10 album is. I can't see how anyone can give this album anything above a 5. It is average at its very best. The album seems to be going for a generic indie sound and fails at it. The vocals are painful at times. Incredibly whiny and shaky. The guitar work is very uninspired and sometimes don't seem to match the tone of the song at all.User score inflated by people that have no idea what a 10 album is. I can't see how anyone can give this album anything above a 5. It is average at its very best. The album seems to be going for a generic indie sound and fails at it. The vocals are painful at times. Incredibly whiny and shaky. The guitar work is very uninspired and sometimes don't seem to match the tone of the song at all.

    Indie rock is slowly becoming very boring to me I'll admit, and it is probably because albums like this are what are being hyped the most. If you want a poor early Arctic Monkeys cover band, here you go. If you want anything else look elsewhere.    … Collapse
  10. davim
    Feb 28, 2015
    2
    Indie rock has never sounded so washed out and dated. An attempt to copy the style of band's like Franz Ferdinand and Arctic Monkeys in their early days. Whilst some of the instrumentation is good, none of these songs really stand out as having any star quality about them at all. The horrible ringing capo guitar tone doesn't help its cause either, and is evident in just about every track.Indie rock has never sounded so washed out and dated. An attempt to copy the style of band's like Franz Ferdinand and Arctic Monkeys in their early days. Whilst some of the instrumentation is good, none of these songs really stand out as having any star quality about them at all. The horrible ringing capo guitar tone doesn't help its cause either, and is evident in just about every track. The past has been and gone, upcoming bands need to take indie rock to the next level. Catfish and The Bottlemen certainly don't achieve that here… Expand

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
52

Mixed or average reviews - based on 6 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 6
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 6
  3. Negative: 0 out of 6
  1. New Musical Express (NME)
    Dec 19, 2014
    40
    ‘The Balcony’ is informed both by their struggle and their noughties indie elders. All this adds up to a dated sound.
    Read full review
  2. Q Magazine
    Dec 19, 2014
    40
    The Balcony is a debut as polite as potpourri. [Oct 2014, p.106]
  3. The Guardian
    Dec 19, 2014
    40
    Daft and dated, but with plenty of energy.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »