Melbourne/Naarm alt-rockers Catholic Guilt share their nostalgic new tune Can You See Me?, out via Wiretap Records, and prepare to share it live at The Tote in Melbourne on November 18. Tickets on sale now!
Drawing inspiration from the Australian indie and punk scene from the 2000s, Can You See Me? is a tale of lost identity and feeling at odds with yourself. Vocalist Brenton Harris explains: “For me personally, that feeling was brought on by a period of intense emotional and physical upheaval caused by a variety of interpersonal issues and a few serious life and career setbacks.
“All of these issues coalesced around the time of the lockdowns and ended up impacting life on the other side of it, resulting in me living life as a version of myself that felt so unfamiliar, so unconfident, so shaken, so entirely unlike ‘me’. Writing the song allowed me to process and heal and move onto the next evolution of ‘myself’. It’s our ‘feel sad hit of the summer’.”
Produced, mixed and mastered by Evan Lee and Ash Daws at The Loud Noise Estate (Inertia, Young Lions, The Motion Below), Can You See Me? sonically invites listeners on a journey of loss and acceptance. Guitarist Dean Gordon highlights that Can You See Me? intentionally “utilises light and shade, with the verses creating an introspective space for self-reflection juxtaposed against an energetic chorus to mimic staring into a mirror screaming for answers.”
The music video created in collaboration with Karl Baldwin plays on the use of silhouettes, leaving room for interpretation and imagination. “Your silhouette only provides an outline of who you are, not the details that make you unique. We felt that this imagery created a parallel to the search for oneself explored in the lyrics,” explains the band.
Catholic Guilt is Brenton Harris (vocals), Dean Gordon (guitar/vocals), Megan Sidwell (guitar/vocals), Ben Caruana (bass) and Michael Condello (drums). The quintet combine elements of punk, alt, folk and rock, resulting in a sound they describe as ‘honest music’. The band released their debut EP, ‘Hymnbook Vol. 1′ independently in 2018 and followed it up in 2020 with ‘This Is What Honesty Sounds Like‘ via Wiretap Records. ‘This Is What Honesty Sounds Like’ earned the band national and international airplay across over 130 stations and received widespread acclaim from outlets including Alternative Press, Music Feeds, Brooklyn Vegan, Pop Matters and landed them a coveted triple j Unearthed feature artist spot.
The band built off the success of the release by signing with booking agency Destroy All Lines and playing a run of shows in Australia, including multiple sold-out shows in their hometown of Melbourne. Catholic Guilt has since gone on to release a handful of singles and have appeared on major Australian festivals Full Tilt and Knight and Day as well as touring the East Coast of Australia and play main support with US alt-rock titans Switchfoot, Pure Noise Records act Real Friends and local icons Behind Crimson Eyes, Chasing Ghosts and The Bennies. Catholic Guilt will headline The Tote on November 18 and support Guttermouth (US) in March 2024.
Can You See Me? is out today and streaming everywhere via Wiretap Records.
