Dictionary.com defines a catalyst as “a person or thing that precipitates change.” The songs on the Catalyst EP are not so much about the catalyst itself, but the teetering between the reactions that follow. Race You There’s Catalyst EP is a collection of four songs about the moment between sadness and giving up.
Juggling indie rock guitars, chugging bass and beseeching vocals, even the music on this release is a feat of balance. And the band is nimble enough to never drop a ball and still have energy left for emotional impact.
Not only are vocals one of Race You There’s spinning plates, they successfully use both male and female vocals. While most bands would have one or the other play lead during a song, RYT can pull off that most dangerous of musical ventures: the male/female duet.
This is most striking on “Casualties,” my favorite song and the one that best presents the EP’s teetering nature. A breakup is looming, but it seems neither party really wants this outcome. He lied, but he believed the lies himself. She didn’t think he could possibly really believe in her. “If there is a chance/that you believe what we once knew/tell me now,” they sing. It is the last lifeboat on a sinking ship.
Catalyst, released April 2nd, is the kind of indie rock that needs no absurd sub-genre. It stands quite well on its own, thank you. It will whet your appetite for Race You There’s future releases.
