Ha the Unclear’s Paul Cathro delivers powerpop gems on a strong solo outing

Kiwi artist goes it alone in Catapult, an album that's as welcoming as a particularly woolly jumper.

Tony StampProducer, Music
Rating: 3.5 stars
5 min read
Catapult album cover
Photo credit:Paul Cathro

Moving from Dunedin to Auckland, then signing to a record label in France, is the kind of unexpected move that suits a band like Ha the Unclear.

Brothers Michael and Paul Cathro formed the group in 2009, specialising in lyrics tinged with scientific nous, and music channelling Kiwi powerpop greats. They’ve been active long enough to enter the ranks themselves.

Michael sings in Ha, with Paul on bass. The latter has been outputting solo material for most of the band’s lifetime, his new LP finding him amongst musicians of similar pedigree, making tunes not too far removed from his main outlet.

Paul Cathro.

Paul Cathro.

Supplied

I recently watched the documentary Pavements, which documents the beloved American band Pavement. Several scenes suggest frontman Stephen Makmus as dissatisfied with his bandmate’s musicianship, unaware that the resulting looseness is a big part of their appeal.

There’s some of that magic here: Cathro’s players - who include members of Princess Chelsea’s Dream Warriors, Two Cartoons, and even the APO - are all wonderful players, but Cathro himself lets his voice wander where it may, a broad Kiwi drawl slipping in and around the notes.

This might sound like a criticism, but when things like digital tuning have been massaging songs into glossy, artificial product for over 20 years, it’s lovely to hear something so human.

Verses are generally conversational, but he layers his vocals into anthemic, catchy choruses throughout, an early double-hit coming with the concise ‘Throw M Back’ and ‘A Long Way’, both featuring multiple earworms.

In fact most of these songs do, and while they’re typically parcelled in sounds that draw on a long line of local greats, from Garageland to the Mutton Birds, there’s a bit more guitar-grunt here than on Ha the Unclear collections.

‘Distance’ and ‘Into the Sun’ in particular flirt with classic rock, while ‘No Life on Mars’ and ‘My Beautiful World’ bring to mind the aforementioned Pavement, when that band was at their noisiest.

Charmain Keay’s additions on violin elevate the mellower tunes, urgent and swelling on ‘Matter Between Us’, and providing subtle melodic counterpoint on ‘Gambled Our Love’.

Lyrics aren’t as scientifically-minded as Michael Cathro’s tend to be in Ha the Unclear, (although the first track on Catapult seems concerned with microplastics), but are just as irreverent, with Paul Cathro comparing himself to a fish on ‘Throw Me Back’, and pondering the role of pets and religion on ‘My Dog’.

As well as being thought-provoking, it’s all thoroughly good natured, with plenty of sonic detours to keep things interesting. I was happy returning to each chord change, as welcoming as a particularly woolly jumper.

More new music to sample

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Metallic Life Review by Matmos

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Listen to Tony Stamp play more tracks from Catapult on Music 101 on Saturday 9 August.

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