Austrian singer/songwriter ViennaCC has amassed a considerable reputation as an idiosyncratic performer who filters pop and rock music influences through his consciousness in unusual ways. His single “When the Cats Comes Out” from his latest EP release Screenshots continues in the same bold tradition he’s pursued thus far and reflects his stylistic diversity. The gaudy and brash tune, three minutes and change long, isn’t shy about its desire to appeal to a broad base of listeners. English isn’t his first language, but he works within its parameters with a surprising level of comfort that enables his audience to connect with the material. The song’s nominal subject – the nightlife of felines – is deliberately left open to interpretation which makes the listening experience all the more enjoyable.
URL: https://viennacc.musicprosite.com/
“When the Cats Come Out” reaches out and grabs listeners. The intense physical connection that ViennaCC’s song makes with listeners brings the track alive from the outset. He keeps that connection alive for the entirety of the song without ever allowing a single lull or lapse to disrupt the track’s trajectory. This single bears down on listeners from the outset without ever overwhelming them and the relentless bodily vigor of the arrangement has a near-claustrophobic intensity.
The production is responsible for a great deal of that. ViennaCC works out of his home studio when recording his music and conveys the intimacy of such an environment through his recordings. “When the Cats Come Out” gets up close at the start and never backs away. It never manifests a threatening or confrontational stance, however, but instead radiates warmth at every turn in the arrangement. ViennaCC works overtime to pull you into his musical world and his efforts reward listeners handsomely.
The lyrics are straightforward yet open-ended. Listeners can arrive at a couple of possible interpretations for the material and the innate wit of the piece, perhaps one of its more underestimated qualities, delivers on the possibility of varied meanings. His vocals exude the same warmth as the arrangement. He sounds like he’s up close, practically in your face, without leaving listeners feeling oppressed or put upon.
The song pops with considerable energy despite its mid-tempo pace. It isn’t hard to imagine sparks flying off of this performance as the track progresses. It’s a steady yet churning energy, never exploding in a single instance, but rather flaming out at you in regular intervals. The electronica backing, keyboards and synthesizers among them, achieve an astonishing temperature despite the traditionally “cold” nature of such instruments.
Percussion emerges in unexpected ways. Much of the song’s percussive quality comes from vocal phrasing and ViennaCC’s enunciation of English, a second language for him rather than his primary tongue. There is an assortment of powerful ingredients that ViennaCC concocts to make this track work. Screenshots are likely a far better release thanks to the presence of this song, but “When the Cats Come Out” succeeds on its own merits as a first-class example of modern dance pop filtered through a particular and unique consciousness.
Garth Thomas