Cathal Francis has become a well known name within the Northern Irish music scene in the last few years and rides that wave of momentum with an utterly relentless release schedule. Making songwriting seem easy Cathal Francis has released his 3rd EP in just over three years. ’Snowblind’ is a five track affair that highlights his talent as a songwriter and a growing maturity as both a musician and lyricist.
The big selling point with ‘Snowblind’ is the bold and articulate lyricism on offer. It’s something we’ve come to expect from Cathal and a reputation he’ll maintain. From start to finish the EP opens a gateway into an intelligent musical mind, a five track story that dabbles in self doubt alongside a host of other stormy emotions. These stories reside over some truly fantastic guitar work. With delicate finger picking and a collection of unusual yet beautiful chords that seamlessly blend with his gentle vocal melodies.
Alongside intricate guitar work we’re greeted to deeper sonic landscapes. ‘Saccharine’, my favourite track on the EP, offers rich, reverberant guitars that build into a chaotic, distortion driven outro and something I’d love to watch live.
If you like Elliot smith but appreciate a little more optimism this is an EP for you. A fine display of storytelling with excellent guitar lines and beautiful meandering melodies ‘Snowblind’ is Cathal’s best work yet and a must listen for any fan of Indie-Folk.
