Catfish Haven

The follow-up to the band’s solid Please Come Back EP fleshes out the group’s trailer park soul pop and offers more sturdy songwriting. Alternating between bruised heart ballads and quick-footed tunes, Tell Me shows the Chicago-based trio cementing their talents. Similar to Please Come Back, the disc’s centrepiece remains front-man George Hunter’s ragged voice and muscular delivery, but Tell Me also expands the band’s depth. On a handful of songs, horns, keyboards and backing vocals enhance Catfish Haven’s music with more sophisticated arrangements. While most of the album hits the mark, a couple of songs fall short, such as "All I Need Is You,” which gets dragged down by excessive repetition. Despite its occasional missteps, Tell Me hits an impressive stride.