"Society Anxiety" by Cat Mead

You may have noticed that I have already written this weekend about Cat Mead's song "Society Anxiety" which comes out as a single today.

That's because it was one of the featured numbers in her set at the ‘Hot Music Live Presents' fundraiser for The Tin on Friday evening when she played alongside Duke Keats, Reign The Girl Band and Shanade

Rather unusually for my reviews of her music, this one isn't a relatively recent composition but dates back to 2019. Interestingly though she has only been including it in her live sets since December & she maybe underestimated its power as she has been impressed with the audience reaction to it: presumably that has been a factor in its new status as a single.

As you know, Cat self identifies as creating "Dark Indie Folk" and lord knows the title "Society Anxiety" sends out definite signals. But those are just starting points and more may be said which takes us in other directions.

I'll start perhaps with another revelatory moment (and career milestone) for Cat as I saw it happen. To her surprise, people started dancing to her set on Friday at The Tin. Since the initiators were highly respected local musicians, that rather amplifies the effect. I think it's great when music exceeds even the expectations even of its creator & it goes to prove that there are always discoveries for everyone within the best material.

When you have someone writing in a way which is true, any labels, whether the name they give a song or the blurb necessary on social media to introduce themselves succinctly, soon get subverted once the music begins playing.

The obvious route forwards from the title would be something edgy and angsty but Cat clearly isn't one to make such a trite choice: "Society Anxiety" is a stately and dignified track (it's impossible now NOT to picture dancing to it) which if it's about agoraphobic type syndromes at all, this is quite a minor part of what is in play.

Rather it concerns the culture of society rather than its physical embodiment: and again Cat is taking on the tyranny of expectations. The key is, in her own words, that it is "a play on exploring your inner world and how interesting that can be while being pulled back to a society that wants you to be something else."

Given all I have written about her in the past, you'll not be too surprised to hear how Cat goes for the metaphysics as much as the concrete: and so you need to follow her into the song & engage with her rather than simply being spoonfed ideas. Once you get deep enough you find that the factor which is most likely to tempt her out of her world is when she feels a compatibility of energy level: unless you vibrate on her frequency she'll stay where she is thank you very much. Sounds like a profound concept but really all it is is someone trying her best to explain something honestly in terms which best express it. And it's entirely understandable & correct that those are of her personal choosing.

You can catch Cat live in the next week or so, firstly tomorrow (14^th April), she is hosting a ‘Song & Story' original music showcase at Southbound Café/Bar in Leamington alongside Shanade, Jack Blackman & Daniel Barrie, then she's  at the Priory Visitor Centre next Friday (17^th April)  as the guest of Izzie Derry on the Coventry leg of her national tour with Chloe Leigh and at the next Crypt Session (Friday 24^th) under the Coventry Cathedral ruins alongside Tom Jennings.