SPILL NEW MUSIC: STREAM THE UNEARTHED ALBUM FROM THE CATBURGERS | RECORDED 40 YEARS AGO BUT RELEASED TODAY FOR THE FIRST TIME

STREAM THE UNEARTHED ALBUM FROM THE CATBURGERS | RECORDED 40 YEARS AGO BUT RELEASED TODAY FOR THE FIRST TIME

SLUMBERLAND RECORDS

The Catburgers formed in Edinburgh, Scotland, in late 1985, inspired by a chance encounter seeing The Television Personalities live and the explosion of DIY pop that was rolling across the UK at the time. They quickly developed a driving, melodic sound that balanced a love of 60s pop with a moody, almost post-punk edge that fit right in with fellow Scottish pop bands like The Pastels and Jesse Garon & The Desperadoes, as well as the bands coming from labels like Creation and Dreamworld.

The Catburgers didn’t release anything at the time, but over 35 years later, Slumberland will release Galashiels; a collection of recently discovered archival recordings from the band that acts as a perfect illustration of the 60s-influenced guitar pop that swept the UK (and beyond!) in the mid-80s. Galashiels will be available on vinyl, CD and digital download.

The band will also play an album release show at Edinburgh’s The Wee Red Bar on September 25, with support from Autocamper. Today The Catburgers also share the second single, “First Day of Spring.” The band gives some context on the song:

“Dave, our new guitarist, has described this as the most complicated 2-minute 15-second song he has ever had to learn! Stuart and I went through a period of working up bits of songs and then pasting them together. I think this is an example of that. Our hapless hero makes the most of a spring day, despite less than ideal weather. The lyrics mention having tinned ravioli as a special treat. This line came from a conversation with Libby, then my girlfriend, now my wife, who had been given this occasionally as a child. Please don’t hold me responsible if you get hold of a tin and find it rather disappointing! And for the avoidance of doubt, let me state categorically that I have never owned driving gloves.”

The Catburgers played often and enthusiastically throughout 1986 and 1987, recording demos that kept the gig offers coming and led Dan Treacy to invite the band to record a single for Dreamworld. Alas, that single didn’t materialize at the time, and while the band continued to write and play, shifting tastes and work obligations led to the band splitting in 1990.

Before they parted ways, though, they hit the studio one last time to document their set, and with no real plans to release it, the recordings that would become Galashiels gathered dust in the attic. Eventually the album was given a rough mix, and a 7″ of the Dreamworld session was released in 2022. A chance Instagram post let the cat out of the bag about the unreleased album, and after some heroic mixing work from Archie Moore (Velocity Girl, Black Tambourine), Galashiels was complete, a lovely snapshot of The Catburgers and also the mid-to-late 80s pop scene.

Songs like “I’ve Got a Friend” and “The First Day of Spring” are thrilling, bursting with youthful enthusiasm and solid gold tunes, the kind of songs that would have been on a thousand mixtapes if released at the time. “Summer of Love” and “The Frightened Girl” are moodier, mid-tempo numbers, calling to mind the jangly sounds of LA’s Paisley Underground, while the epic “I’m Leaving on the 7:52” hearkens back to those same Television Personalities that inspired the band’s formation several years and dozens of gigs earlier.

What’s really striking is the strength of the songwriting throughout. The Catburgers had a real way with a tune, and it feels like a genuine gift to be hearing Galashiels almost 40 years later. It’s a perfect representation of a time when starry-eyed kids in far-flung locales like Edinburgh, Dunedin, London and Los Angeles took a resolutely DIY approach to pop and, in so doing, came up with something fresh, vital and enduring.

The Catburgers
Galashiels
(Slumberland Records)
Release Date: September 25, 2026

Artist Links