Brisbane artist Katanak embraces his inner indie rock star to deliver a punchy, riff-ridden head-banger through Pinch Grip.
Since first arriving on the Australian music scene as Katanak in 2020, Dylan Cattanach has garnered a reputation for crafting rich, feel-good pop songs that combine alternative pop sounds with indie energy.
Katanak is synonymous with atmospheric records, and after the successful release of his laid-back, summery hit, Sunday (feat. KOOLZ), he’s back with the rock-flavoured Pinch Grip.
“You told me you were missing her / You can’t miss what you never had,” Katanak declares as guitar riffs grab you by the throat and throw you into a world of concrete garages at midnight, sleeve tattoos under leather jackets and people belting atop parked cars.
The raw guitars and heart-pounding drum beats propel each other through the song, creating rough peaks for Kantanak’s vocals to soar over, and sizzling valleys for them to fall into like melting caramel.
Mixed by Dr Lachlan ‘Magoo’ Goold (Powderfinger) and mastered by Simon Francis (Charlie Puth), Pinch Grip’s production is wild and undeniably catchy – reminiscent of the pop rock bands of today and the early 2000s. It’s a darker sound that fans of the singer-songwriter may not be used to, but it’s one that pays off in all the best ways.
The singer’s vocals are gloriously husky yet smooth. It’s always been argued that pop-rock singers tend to sound the same.
At first listen, you may fall into this trap, trying to pinpoint who Katanak sounds like. Stop yourself. That’s the beauty of the artist’s vocals – they’re homegrown, Aussie and uniquely his own.
“I wrote Pinch Grip after watching a friend fall under the spell of someone who wouldn’t commit to a relationship but wasn’t willing to let them go … The guitar-driven track emphasises the backwards and forwards of the key players,” Kanatak said when describing Pinch Grip.
Katanak embodies each brutally honest lyric with gusto. He understands both parties involved and, not only is he pointing out what should be obvious to them, he’s also acting as the voice of reason.
It’s not an angry track and shouldn’t be mistaken for one. Instead, think of it as a friend who’s staging an intervention – they’ll point everything out before sitting back to say, “So, now what?”
All in all, Pinch Grip is a welcome addition to Katanak’s discography. Gritty and irrepressible, it’s a song that demands your attention.
While some artists may be intimidated by experimenting with their music, Pinch Grip is the perfect example of what happens when an artist takes a risk and, ultimately, finds the sound that was meant for them.
Listen to Pinch Grip below:
