As if foretold by the ascension of the immortal internet totem of Fatso the Keyboard Cat, the rise of Catbeats was nearly inevitable. If you didn't know, or have been too zooted on catnip to notice, Catbeats is a Swedish electronic producer who makes old school, synthwave electronic music. It's smooth. It's simple. And it has a strong preference for compatible harmonics. Catbeat's tunes are the equivalent of a cup of chamomile tea, sipped as the sun dries the last of the morning dew. It's hard not to imagine everything being in harmony while these beats are in the air. Their latest album
Comfy is very much in line with these aesthetic principles. It was recorded just prior to lockdown in the company of some friendly feline collaborators and then finessed with the pop of bubblegum-bass grooves and syrupy sax solos throughout the last two years of intermittent quarantine. These tracks are not leftovers or b-sides, though. Instead,
Comfy is almost a thesis statement by the artist. A concerted display of their dedication to elevating the domestic as a refuge and a place to recharge and recalibrate when returning from the chaos of the wider world. Like any creature who has the confidence to know its limits and realizes when it needs to withdraw into the habitat of the modern home, these sounds do not hide in a place of residence as a way of segregating themselves from reality, but rather, understand the safety provided by a home as a source strength and promote health, creativity, and flexibility. The latter of which is something that I feel Catbeats does a very good job with in general, but particularly on
Comfy. The beats and synth rhythms the artist curates are bold in their outlines but retain a certain malleability that reminds me of wet clay, minus the mess. Like most cats, these songs can fit themselves into any space, any crevice, and corridor with an opening wide enough for them to get their shoulders through- winding their way through the maze of life, regardless of the geometry of the passages through which they must
pass.
