As is custom with duos, Cat’s Eyes relies on its members’ opposing forces: Rachel Zeffira, a Canadian soprano, composer and multi-instrumentalist who summons celestial delicacy from every song, manages to smoothe out the barbed post-punk tendencies of Horrors frontman Faris Badwan. On their second album proper – if you discount their Ivor-nominated soundtrack to the Peter Strickland film The Duke of Burgundy – their sound has expanded, taking in widescreen compositions full of Disney romanticism (Treasure House), Ennio Morricone-inspired soundcsapes (Girl in the Room), spooky neo-noir atmospherics (Everything Moves Towards the Sun) and a moment of reverb-drenched surf rock guitar that would make Tarantino giddy (Be Careful Where You Park Your Car). What is most intriguing is their bond; particularly during the sinister love affair of Drag – “the things we do when we’re together, if they only knew they would keep us apart” – a jarring narrative that’s more gruesome horror than gooey romcom.
