Local Review: Catgrove St. – Glory to the Unborn !

Catgrove St.
Glory to the Unborn !

friend’s house records
Street: 03.15
Catgrove St. = Ghost Mice + Bright Eyes

On Glory to the Unborn !, Alec Loverchio—aka Catgrove St.—delivers dour yet catchy folk-punk with a hefty helping of morbid angst. This bare-bones, 23-minute record features little instrumentation aside from chucky acoustic guitar and twinkling mandolin (sometimes heavily laden with effects), but still carries all the emotional impact of gazing into the abyss while nursing a toothache. 

After “intro,” a mournful instrumental opener, the album launches into “Long Live The Unborn,” a vigorous anthem with a boppy pace reminiscent of Flogging Molly. On this track, Loverchio introduces the listener to the album’s core themes: how good it would be to never have been born, the mutability of beauty and the persistence of suffering. 

These motifs repeatedly crop up throughout the record in lyrics such as “There’s no greater bliss to not be born in the world at all,” “I know that there’s no hope for tomorrow” and “The world is your oyster ‘til it washes away.” On top of these already gloomy lines, Glory To The Unborn ! occasionally turns darker when Loverchio rasps about self harm and suicidal thoughts.

In stark contrast to these sullen lyrical themes, the music is often frisky and upbeat. On tracks  “useless hands,” “BLOOD MACHINE” and “Skeleton Love Song,” Loverchio employs thumping, danceable rhythms while warbling breathily about despair and impotence. This juxtaposition can be a little jarring, but these moments of punchy fun keep the glum monotony of the album’s lyrics from overpowering the listener. 

Still, by the end of the album, you’re left with the feeling that you’ve waded through a mire of ineffectual longing and bewildering misery. These heavy emotions are probably the intended result, but it’s likely to keep Glory To The Unborn ! off anyone’s summer vacation playlist.

Catgrove St. deftly melds folk-punk composition with emo lyricism. The outcome is a playfully miserable and cathartic record that will make you want to weep and bob your head in turns. At its best moments, it may evoke both responses at once. –Joe Roberts

Read more reviews of artists with emo lyrics:
Apocalyptic Sound: An Interview with Clan of Xymox’s Ronny Moorings
Local Review: Tycoon Machete – The Great Machine