Catholic Action’s In Memory Of is a strong and surprising debut. It’s an album of sounds that you won’t have heard from a modern group in a very long time and, once accepted, it becomes an album that’s almost modestly epic. The songs have plenty of charm under the skin and the album blossoms into something unashamedly romantic. They go the full hog with In Memory Of and the result is a very confident and quite warming listen.

I’ve not heard an unashamed pop-rock album in years, certainly not from this decade and not one done this well. The danger is always cutting the cheese, but Catholic Action go the whole way with it and the result is a reminder of how great those records can be. I’ve not heard a vocal like Chris McCrory’s in a long time, it’s simple and very powerful and not afraid of being sung. They aren’t trying to push the envelope anywhere on the album but writing an album like In Memory Of kind of does it for them. There’s nothing new or ground breaking, but playing to the influences that they do certainly makes the debut memorable and gives Catholic Action a strong USP.

In Memory Of isn’t ashamed of its influences and is straight up with its song writing. It has its feet firmly planted in rock and pop with some T-Rex glam thrown into the mix. There are moments of harmonised guitars and solos a-plenty which, given the lack of that style on offer these days, is more than welcome. It’s a collection of the best moments of its influences but manages to keep itself lean. On the whole, In Memory Of is the sound of swaying with a highschool partner at Reading & Leeds. These are the moments when it’s at its best.

There are moments when it does feel like it’s trying to recreate a live experience on the album. It sounds like a young band trying to capture the magic of their live shows. These moments fall right at the beginning and, whilst they aren’t bad songs, they just don’t sound at home among the rest of the album. It sounds like indie pop that the blossoms into pop rock and the pop rock is just done so so well. These moments are few, though, yet don’t detract from the many high points on the album.

For me, it’s the album tracks that really make In Memory Of fantastic, although they could all be potential singles. ‘The Shallows’ has the best guitar work on the album. This is all down to the perfect glam rock solo, it’s not flashy but it’s very powerful and doesn’t at any point become indulgent. ‘Childhood Home’ is another highlight for me, it’s the perfect line of the indie influences that you hear earlier on the album. It has that winding charm of a gentle Libertines song and, again, the vocals are perfect for the style.

Catholic Action’s debut gets more and more rewarding with each listen. They have stepped into waters that have been left uncharted for far too long. In Memory Of doesn’t try to be a nostalgia album either, it takes its influences and makes it sound fresh and new. It’s certainly a refreshing album and one of my biggest surprises of the year.

Chris Middleton

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