You don’t have to be a cat fan to like The Cat’s Miaow, but it doesn’t hurt either. There’s something as stubborn as the cheeky carnivores in the band from Melbourne. Despite their classic twee-pop constitution, they invented their own unique sound, even apart from proven influences like Beat Happening, The Sugargliders or Galaxie 500. After »Songs ’94-’98«, which was also recently released on World of Echo, »Skipping Stones: The Cassette Years ’92-’93« now looks at the beginnings of the quartet, which recorded a lot, low-key and lo-fi, but almost never performed live. The compilation brings together a selection from four cassette releases: a total of 35 songs, some of which are still sketches. The bouncy drums and guitars are a great example of the band’s laid-back style. This was the sound of Bart Cummings’s friends getting together to form a band, and it really worked well. The compilation also includes some of the band’s later hits in early, pleasantly noisy versions. »Hollow Inside« is a great example of a song without percussion, while »You Left A Note On The Table« has echoing backing vocals and hissing drums. Perhaps The Cat’s Miaow are popular again today because their lyrics are more relatable than ever. When Kerrie Bolton sings in her melancholy falsetto, »You describe me as if I’m hollow inside/The sad thing is I think you might be right,« it’s more insightful than any life coach reel on Instagram.
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