Family Cactus - Come Howling

Review for Nexus Magazine (www.nexusmag.co.nz)

It has been several months since I was lucky enough to see Family Cactus while I was down in Wellington, and ever since I have been eagerly waiting for their debut album to come out. With such high expectations, I was unsure if this album would achieve the high standard I had been hoping for. Turns out I had nothing to worry about!

Come Howling, the first release from the seven piece Wellington band, features a rich, warm reverberant sound similar to Canadian indie-rock band Arcade Fire. The album starts with Kingmaker that is, in my opinion, not the greatest song from the record to choose as a single, given the outstanding tracks that follow. Although it is written and arranged in a similar anthemic style to Arcade Fire, I feel it falls a bit short as the rousing opening track they were probably hoping for.

Next up is In Transit, which is undoubtedly my favourite track on the album, featuring some fantastic synth and Rhodes piano arrangements. The densely layered production on the album sounds gorgeous on this song in particular. One of the most enjoyable songs from a New Zealand band I’ve heard in quite a while.

The album hits a completely different tone for track number three, diving straight in E Street Band territory with No Magic and Coal Town. While No Magic is a brooding, dark track reminiscent of a few songs from the Springsteen album Darkness on the Edge of Town, the optimistic working class ballad of Coal Town has the uplifting quality of the Born to Run era.

A Running Mystery is a beautifully simple song, with singer/guitarist Adam Ladley sounding incredibly Thom Yorke-ish. The song acts nicely as the quiet before the storm that is Barbed Tongue, the loud and furious start to the second part of the album. Another album highlight is the track Mariachi Stomper towards the end of the album, in particular the tremolo guitar solo leading into a fantastic outro. Title track Come Howling has a rousing crescendo that reminded me a lot of Hoppipolla by Sigur Ros.

My only other criticism of the album is that it feels like it should have concluded at that point, but instead it continues on with the Beirut-sounding A Giant Flash in the Pan. While I imagine this is a great song live, or maybe somewhere else on the record, it seems a little bit out of place as the final song on the album.

But a few criticisms aside, this is an extremely exciting debut album from a very promising band. The strong songwriting and beautiful arrangements make this album a truly memorable experience. I am looking forward to hearing the tracks they have since recorded in Neil Finn’s Roundhead Studios. Go out to your local CD store or visit iTunes and grab yourself a copy! I doubt you’ll be disappointed.

4.5/5