Catfish and the Bottlemen

Hi GMC!

Welcome to my new lesson covering the style of Catfish and the bottlemen, a British indie rock band, formed in 2007.

Music Style:
Their sound mixes influences from bands like The Kooks, The Strokes, Artic Monkeys and The Smiths. They combine those indie influences with really catchy choruses and powerful guitar riffs. In this lesson I’ve composed a tune inspired by some of their most popular songs, like "7", "Fluctuate" and "Kathtleen".

Tonality, Chord Progression & Scales:
I’ve analized many of their songs before composing this tune and I’ve noted that most of their music is based on minor keys, and that many of their choruses use this or a variation of this progression: VI – III – Im – VII. On the other hand, most of their verses are build around the Im chord, moving to the III and/or VII. This lesson is in E minor key and everything is base don E minor scale.

Techniques:
This lesson combine rhythm stuff with melodies and it’s a good example of how they arrange their songs. Notice the use of diads (two note chords) and many melodies base on minor scale.

Sound:
I used Fractal AX8’s plexi emulation for guitar with the following settings:


I used Cubase to record audio and midi, superior drummer for drums and Hallion for synths.

Tuning: Standard Tuning

Tempo: 138 BPM