Eric Schroeder Drops A New Album
The latest album from Eric Schroeder delivers its own approach and breed of cinematic pop rock and does so with a thick-laid personality along with some robust layers of guitar work and a certain level of honesty that shines through on a lot of the songs.
The Cat's Game album is a record that spans a good set of rock genres that range from a classic kind of indie rock to folk rock and of course that pop-riddled, radio-friendly approach but it has this persona about it and that's part of why you get attached to it in the first place.
Eric certainly knows how to put together some catchy hooks and the very first track on the record is a perfect example of exactly how he does his thing.
The album starts with "High and Low" which is a damn near perfect way to introduce the record simply because it provides a lot of some of the staple sounds that you're going to hear on the record all in one shot.
You have the personality, the character, the catchy guitars, and the vocal hooks that follow those guitar lines so that they get embedded into your brain.
These are all attributes of someone who really knows how to write a strong hook but still has a little bit of that lo-fi indie rock vibe happening on the forefront.
What really grabbed me about this record is the simple fact that even though these songs can rock with this bright and vivacious, vibrant feel, they still have this portrayal of honesty and some of them are pretty personal so when you listen to the lyrics you can tell that he's letting a lot out.
I think it takes a lot to create a record that displays so much inner thought and personal approach with that great, vibrant rock style because it hasn't been done that often.
I like listening to a record and being able to connect with it. There are certain songs on this album that feel like they might have even been cathartic for Eric to write and release but, for whoever is listening to it, they can certainly relate to it on a number of levels.
Certain tracks on the record make you feel like you completely understand where he's coming from but you don't know how to articulate those thoughts into words let alone words and music so when you hear the songs that he writes, you automatically connect to them in that manner.
This was a lush record with layers, thick guitar tone, catchy riffs, and an energy that was really up there. The energy level on this record was balanced because the guitars and drums were kind of heavy at times. Not like a heavy metal, but more hard-hitting and packed a punch in a colorful, indie rock sort of way.
The vocals balance that out because, a lot of times the vocals did follow some of the guitar hooks and they create those memorable sections that stick with you, but the vocals aren't overbearing or overpowering at all.
Instead, the vocal approach balances out those heavier and harder-hitting guitars by staying a bit more subtle and not going over the top so that it keeps that one one-on-one style performance.
So, it's a great combination of the kind of character that you would get from something like folk music or a singer-songwriter. Genres where people are giving off a personal vibe and letting out those inner thoughts but you're getting it in a rock format and that works super well on this record.
Definitely take a deep dive into this one when you can. This is not the kind of record you listen to a few tracks off of. This is a record you listen to from beginning to end because all of these songs are like chapters in the artist's life and they should be hurt as a whole.
Check this out and see what it does for you.
