225 Press Play: Liam Catchings and the Jolly Racket – Preview the band’s upcoming EP Secular Music

225’s new feature Press Play gives you an exclusive listen to a local band’s latest songs before the release date.

When recording the debut album Secular Music, Liam Catchings, his brother Ben, and the rest of their band, the Jolly Racket, tried to achieve the highest quality pop gold in a do-it-yourself context.

The result is something that flows freely from blues-driven stomps (“Candy Apple Red”) to piano-laced jolts of energy (“At Least I Never Sleep Alone”). You won’t hear the adjectives that might come with DIY aesthetics. This isn’t a lo-fi recording at all even though it was recorded in the band’s home studio. The band writes songs that wouldn’t sound out of place on the radio stations in the ’60s and ’70s.

Secular Music is a six-song EP that will be released Tuesday, Oct. 22, but you can stream it in full here today. The band will perform at Mud and Water Nov. 16.

For more information on Liam Catchings and The Jolly Racket, click here or here.

Listen to Secular Music below.
Warning: The track “Candy Apple Red” has explicit language.

This song is no longer available for streaming. Liam Catchings and the Jolly Racket’s EP Secular Music is now available for purchase here.