The Ride

With The Ride, Catfish and the Bottlemen double down rather than diverge. Their second album arrives not as a reinvention, but as a tightening of the formula that defined their debut, sharper edges, bigger choruses and a clear intent to scale up without losing immediacy.

Produced by Dave Sardy, whose past work with bands like Oasis and Wolfmother lingers in the album’s DNA, The Ride leans into a direct, no-frills indie rock sound. There is a confidence in its simplicity. Guitars are clean and driving, rhythms are purposeful, and the songs are built with an eye firmly on momentum rather than experimentation.

That approach is most evident in the singles. ‘Soundcheck’ sets the tone early, while ‘7’ emerges as the album’s standout, its rise on the UK charts signalling the band’s growing reach. Tracks like ‘Twice’ and ‘Outside’ reinforce the record’s consistency, each one constructed with a similar blueprint, punchy, melodic and designed for live settings.

Yet that consistency is also where The Ride divides opinion. Critics were quick to note its lack of progression, arguing that the band’s refusal to push beyond their established sound leaves the album feeling one-dimensional. There is little here that surprises. Instead, it moves in a straight line, favouring reliability over risk.

Commercially, however, the strategy paid off. Debuting at number one on the UK Albums Chart, The Ride confirmed Catfish and the Bottlemen as a band capable of translating grassroots momentum into mainstream success. The songs may not reinvent the genre, but they resonate, particularly in the spaces they were clearly built for, festival stages, crowded venues and moments of collective release.

What defines The Ride is its clarity of purpose. It is an album that knows exactly what it wants to be and delivers it without hesitation. For some, that focus will feel limiting. For others, it is precisely what makes it work, a collection of tightly constructed indie rock songs that trade innovation for impact, and, more often than not, land their punch.