The Cat Empire have actually revealed their recently reconfigured carrying out line-up, sharing the news along with the release of a single entitled ‘Thunder Rumbles’.
In September of 2021, establishing frontman Felix Riebl and multi-instrumentalist Ollie McGill revealed that the band (as it existed then) would be liquified, giving way “for a new incarnation of The Cat Empire to come to life”. They played their last program with that line-up at last year’s Byron Bay Bluesfest.
Riebl stays The Cat Empire’s core imaginative force; along with him and McGill, the band now includes bassist Grace Barbé, drummer Daniel Farrugia (who formerly explored with them in 2018) and percussionist Neda Rahmani.
In a news release, Riebl said of the band’s very first release with their brand-new line-up: “It’s got all the elements (and then some) of a Cat Empire classic. A New Orleans-y sousaphone kicks it off, makes its way to a stadium Latin break in the middle, then keeps flying from there. It’s brass-heavy (played by The Horns Of Leroy), drum-heavy, and high drama. The lyrics are more or less a brawl of celebration.”
Have a take a look at the accompanying video for ‘Thunder Rumbles’ – directed by Nick Campbell and produced by Josh Harris, with imaginative instructions from Giulia McGauran – listed below:
On the making of the clip, Riebl said the experience brought him and the band “a lot of laughter”, explaining the shoot as “wall-to-wall (bluescreen) fun down the lens of a single camcorder”. He gushed that it was brought to life with “a great crew” and “heaps of colour and dynamics”, which resulted in “a real throwback to clips from the ‘80s [and] ‘90s”.
Riebl continued: “It also introduces a lot of visuals and themes from the [artwork for The Cat Empire’s as-yet-unannounced ninth album]. Welcome to the world of ‘Thunder Rumbles’. Let the lightning strike!!!!”
Expounding on the video’s principle, Campbell said in his own declaration: “I wished to record the energy of a Cat Empire reveal, smashing together video in a dynamic, freewheeling collage. Something about the method the image breaks down simply felt right, like a David Byrne video from the ‘80s.
“It was a really fun set to be on, the song is a joyous romp, and it was important that came across on camera. The rest of the band was just out of frame, cheering on whoever we were filming.”
As for how the band’s brand-new members gelled with the procedure of recording ‘Thunder Rumbles’, Rahmani said the track was merely “too much fun to record”. She applauded “the atmosphere in the studio” as “epic”, keeping in mind that she especially delighted in “joining so many Melbournian brass and percussion [players]with the core Cat Empire band members rocking through to steer and bless the track”.
Rahmani included: “My name actually means ‘thunder’ in Farsi (language in Iran, where I was born) so this song is very special to me.”
The Cat Empire will likewise carry out at this year’s Bluesfest, along with a handful of other dates around Australia later on this month – see here for all of their approaching gigs.
Meanwhile, last November saw Riebl release his 3rd solo album, ‘Everyday Amen’.
