A tongue-in-cheek “supergroup” prone to wearing feline disguises and swapping vocals and instruments on a whim, Fantastic Cat is comprised of four talented singer/songwriters who’ve earned critical acclaim—if not mass popularity—as solo artists. The roster includes Anthony D’Amato, Mike Montali, Brian Dunne and producer Don DiLego. The group’s latest release, Now That’s What I Call Fantastic Cat (Missing Piece), is, in a word, fantastic. Here’s the what the band had to say about each song.
1) “Oh Man!”
“The song comes out of the gate as something of a thesis statement for the whole record. We see all these different working-class characters squeezed out of the lives they thought they’d live by forces beyond their control. It’s hard out there these days.” (Essential lyric: “We’re all doing the best that we can.”)
2) “Little Bit Broken”
“We’re all a little bit broken in some way—mentally, physically, emotionally. Life can knock you around, and sometimes it feels scary letting another person into your world for fear of breaking them, too. But there’s liberation in acknowledging that. And in finding someone else who’s willing to acknowledge it, too.” (Essential lyric: “Everyone one I’ve ever loved/Has paid the price.”)
3) “Later On”
“This is probably the most romantic song on the album. It’s a rare thing to find someone who cuts through all the bullshit and truly understands you. That kind of love is worth waiting for.” (Essential lyric: “Nobody sees me/The way that I see me/Like you see me”)
4) “So Glad You Made It”
“Some people get out, some people get left behind. There’s a few different ways you can interpret the story in this song, and none is more right than any other. But it’s ultimately a hopeful song, even though there’s a tinge of melancholy to it, like the happiness you feel standing back from a distance watching someone you love live the life they’ve dreamed of, knowing it means you may never see them again. Adam Duritz brought so much emotion and character to his vocals on this song, which really helped seal the deal.” (Essential lyric: “There ain’t no way around it/So I said, ‘Babe if you ain’t swimming, you’re drowning.”)
5) “The Hammer And The Nail”
“A sleazy little slice of honky-tonk, barroom lament. When everything goes wrong at once, you can either laugh or cry. This song chooses to laugh.” (Essential lyric: “Sometimes you’re the hammer/Sometimes you’re the nail/But lately, I just keep on getting screwed.”)
6) “I Don’t Know Why”
“Everybody’s got a little self-destructive streak. Some keep it more in check than others. This song is about somebody who mostly tried to do right, but every so often just makes a mess of things for no particular reason.” (Essential lyric: “Sometimes I go and kick the hornets’ nest/I stir them up, oh just to watch them fly/I don’t know why, I don’t know why, I don’t know why.”)
7) “Go All Night”
“It’s a strange feeling watching everyone around you mark these traditional milestones in their lives while you’re in the back of a van rolling across Iowa for the sixth time this year. Are you missing out, spinning your wheels in pursuit of some mirage? Or are you doing exactly what you were put on this Earth to do? Those questions rattle around in your brain some days, but when you get onstage and the lights go up and the band is cooking and the crowd is giving it right back, you know the answer.” (Essential lyric: “I’ve got a heart like an engine/I could go all night.”)
8) “Edinburgh”
“A reflection on loss and the ways grief can upend your entire world. It’s difficult to watch people you care about struggle. You wish you could do anything to take the hurt away, but you know you can’t. All you can do is try to be there for them with a hug or a shoulder to cry on or a pint to raise in a toast. This song is all those things at once.” (Essential lyric: “Ain’t it funny how it feels that way/Then just one day/Everything is upside down.”)
9) “Sometimes Your Heroes Let You Down”
“Part of growing up is realizing that everyone is human and flawed. What happens when the people you aspired to be like turn out to be frauds? Do you follow their footsteps and play the con as well, or do you chart a new course based on your own internal compass.” (Essential lyric: “We’re gonna have to find our own way home..”)
10) “All My Fault”
“You’ve got to have a nice mixture of ego and delusion to make a life in the music business. This song tries to pop that balloon a little bit by pushing the humble brag to a ridiculous extreme. We’re living in an age of heightened accountability, and the singer acknowledges that by apologizing for being so great that everyone can’t help but adore him. Being perfect in every way is just his cross to bear.” (Essential lyric: “It’s all my fault that no other man could ever be enough/Well it’s all my fault, oh, that you’re in love.”)
11) “Head Down, Shots Fired”
“There’s a looming sense of apocalypse in this song. All the characters on this album were sold a world where they could get ahead with a little hard work and ingenuity. Instead, they’ve discovered a whole bunch of smoke and mirrors, rising rent and dead-end jobs, broken promises and wasted dreams. Now everything’s a mess and there’s a storm on the horizon.” (Essential lyric: “How you gonna sleep?/Tell me how you gonna catch your breath/With that rope pulling tighter every night around your neck?”)
See Fantastic Cat live.
