King of Cats

"The eccentric creativity of Daniel Johnston with the voice of a dying cat" is how I recently described the sound of King of Cats for a gig listing (although the second part of that description was duly edited out) and, for a rushed one-liner, I think it gives a pretty decent idea of what to expect from Oxford/Brghton-based 19-year-old Max Levy. With a guitar in hand and his unique and oddly effective voice, Max crafts interesting and intelligent - if slightly weird - songs that feel honest and born out of a need to just make music.

And his SoundCloud page is certainly testament to both his urge to write and write and write and his, let's call it, 'unusual' nature - with over 30 tracks penned and uploaded in the last 12 months, with titles ranging from 'Zombie in a well nailed coffin' to 'I stink of human feces'. The most recent of his numerous recordings are set to be released through new DIY label Reeks Of Effort (a label collective run by members of Joanna Gruesome, Playlounge, YRRS, and more) and I'm absolutely in love with them. Seldom does a man and his guitar sound so interesting and compelling - really good songs with vocals that I really enjoy. Listen for yourself with an open mind below, or stream the whole thing on Reeks of Effort's bandcamp.





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