British indie rock outfit Catfish and the Bottlemen rose to success in the mid-2010s with a jagged, garage-laced sound and seemingly tireless work ethic. The quartet had already been at it for over half-a-decade when they broke out with their 2014 Island debut, later cementing their climb with 2016's chart-topping The Ride. Over the next few years, they continued to expand internationally, becoming festival staples in other parts of Europe, the U.S., and Australia. A third album, The Balance, arrived in 2019.

The Bottlemen formed in 2007 in Llandudno, Wales, with members moving to the seaside town from as far away as Sheffield and Newcastle to complete the lineup. Cheshire-born singer/songwriter Ryan Evan Van McCann started the band, naming it after a street busker, Catfish and the Bottlemen, whom he saw perform while traveling with his parents as a child in Australia. Initially the group featured guitarist Bill Bibby, bassist Benji Blakeway, and drummer Jon Barr. By 2010, Barr had left the group, replaced by Bob Hall. Pairing a staunch D.I.Y. ethic with a gritty but melodic sound, the Bottlemen gigged constantly throughout 2012 and 2013 before signing to Island Records. They spent the summer of 2014 gigging heavily at festivals around the U.K., during which time Johnny Bond replaced Bibby on lead guitar. After receiving a Best Newcomer Award from the BBC, they delivered their full-length debut, The Balcony, in September 2014. The album debuted at number ten on the U.K. charts, yielding the hit single "Kathleen."

Continuing to manage their heavy tour schedule, Catfish and the Bottlemen also spent part of 2015 in Los Angeles working on their follow-up album. In 2016, still riding the success of their debut, they took home a BRIT Award for British Breakthrough Act, returning later that year with their sophomore album, The Ride. A chart-topper at home, it also exposed the band to a U.S. audience, peaking at number 28 on the Billboard 200. A series of singles preceded the early 2019 release of the Bottlemen's third LP, The Balance. Produced by Jacknife Lee, it remained true to the band's sound and nearly topped the U.K. charts, peaking at number two. ~ Timothy Monger & Scott Kerr, Rovi