Roy Blair's Cat Heaven: A Review

Roy Blair’s Cat Heaven is one of the most enthralling albums I have ever heard. It transcends a particular genre and inexplicably contorts my emotions in a way that has not been done before. Every songs has its own distinct sound, so much so that it almost feels as if the music has been produced by a different artist on every track. Blair takes us on his coming-of-age journey with his peculiar but captivating voice as the narration. Lyrically, he embodies all the qualities of a star, but there is something about the way the music matches with his vocals that contribute a shy tone that makes you feel as if you are holding his hand as he comes in to his own. I think Blair’s ability to portray such an uncomfortable emotion in such a beautiful way is what sets him apart from most artists. He can take something so awkward and make it attractive, it’s an allure I have only seen portrayed in the performances of Frank Ocean, where Frank is almost timid on stage, but his angelic voice fills every part of your body. Somehow, Roy Blair has managed to take that visual interpretation, and serve it to the audience through the sound entirely. The only way I could fully explain the reach of my admiration for this album is by showing you song by song, so without further ado, I present to you: Roy Blair’s Cat Heaven: A Review.

1. Grow Up

Blair sugar-coats the fury of a message by singing it through a sweet melody. My interpretation is that Roy is being told to grow up and he is overwhelmed with his reality as it is. This song is an expression of his aggravation. He is constantly being compared to others who are living their lives in a significantly better or more elevated way, and he feels as though he cannot maintain that image. As many teenagers do, he feels a certain amount of scrutiny has been placed on him and rather than crumbling under the pressure, he has given up entirely and succumbed to the small town mentality that he will never ben able to leave. There is something heart wrenching about the way he says “I’m your fault after all”. It resonates with the audience on a level that makes you feel like he’s implying that he did not ask to be born nor does he wish to live. It is sort of anthem-y in the sense that the behavior of every child is a direct result of the environment in which they live in. Blair insinuates that all of his immature activities are not his fault and he directs the blame to the adult figure in his life. There is something to be said about the anger that he conveys in each of his songs. There is is this blatant frustration that is difficult to ignore and it adds to the character of the album as a whole.

Favorite lyrics:

"Baptized, no zits Pretty whip, all of it Mmm, I want all of it"

2. Alex

Once again, we see this display of a feeling of inadequacy. Blair hopes someone will come lift the burdens of his mundane life. His reckless behavior is a direct result of the feeling missing out on living. He keeps himself in good company, they allow him to make these rash decisions, but then again, can you blame him for making them? “Alex” follows the idea that “Grow Up” gave us: It’s difficult to not get caught up in your reality, but what Blair will soon come to realize is the longer he dwells on what he cannot change, the more dissatisfied he will become. Pay close attention to the marvelous storytelling of this album. "Alex" follows "Grow Up" to continue this plot of teen angst with a sort of "I want to roll the windows down, and scream" attitude. Alex is one of those songs you want to listen to while driving through a tunnel, maybe you're angry at someone, or annoyed that you have to travel wherever it is that you are going.

Favorite lyrics:

I don't like anything I was born with

Why do I exist?

3. Family

The theme of family and relationships is prevalent throughout, but this song explicitly displays the isolation that he feels. He talks about proving those who doubt him wrong. If I was furious and there was a montage in a film of me just destroying property, this song would most definitely play. There’s this anger woven into a beat that’s vaguely hardcore that gets the blood flowing. The idea of a darker dream clouds the lyrics and intercepts the beat setting a melancholic tone for the song as a whole. The opening lines interpret the song as it is told from the perspective of someone who is suffering, but goes unnoticed. The idea that he's better "stoned" either as a metaphor for death or just that people have told him that they prefer him in an altered state says something about the "company" Roy Blair was speaking about int the previous track.

Favorite lyrics:

My dream got dark, yeah Blood running down the drain And the world falling apart, yeah But it ain't like a damn thing changed

4. Happy

Like I said, this album tells us a story. Roy’s tumultuous relationship with his family is best presented in this track as we learn that his father is abusive even though he does not live with them. His mother is giving him a month to move out of their home. Roy has apparently fallen in love with a person who makes him “happy” and alleviates this pain. The song has this upbeat boy band-esque beat that somehow matches its painful lyrics. At first, the opening lines make no sense to the audience. Perhaps they think he is talking about a separate relationship. The song tells the brief story of a summer relationship that turns could, and we learn when the first stanza is reiterated at the end, that it was actually foreshadowing. The video for this song is magnificent. Starring his real-life girlfriend Enya Umanzor, the video for “Happy”, the video speaks for itself, and offers an entirely new realm of interpretation for the song.

Favorite lyrics:

And time don't fly, it accelerate Suicide to the side on my better days Mom gave me thirty days for me to get out Went to my friend's house, fell asleep on his couch

5. Perfume

Perfume makes me want to dance. It’s the song I’ve been least analytical about while listening to because when I think about the lyrics too much I know it’s not as happy as a hope. Perfume is beautiful and it was the first song that made me fall in love with Roy’s sound. There are even allusions to the song “September” and the idea that every action that he does is for this one particular person makes me wonder if the album is for this person. I think this song could actually be about a current relationship, one that lives outside the universe of this album. Maybe I created the universe for this album because I really wanted there to be one.

Favorite lyrics:

But the world gets what it wants when it needs it Silver to silver, it’s out of reach Give to your giver, you’re on your knees Back home for dinner, the wind lets me speak And every September you know right where I’ll be yeah

6. Thunder

This was the first ever single of his that I had heard, and the only song of his I remember being available on Spotify for that matter. I remember looking him up after hearing his vocals on American Boyfriend by Ian Simpson aka Kevin Abstract. I was captivated by the strange yet magical pitch in his voice. Thunder is unlike the other songs on this album. I listened to it on repeat for months. It’s about this sort of senior year relationship before graduation and how that split is necessary but it still hurts. I was able to feel it as a high school junior who had never dated anyone at the time.

Favorite lyrics:

Had something for you since middle school Think that'll stay Had something to say But I forgot amongst the smoke

7. Jane

I don’t want to assume, even though I’ve been doing it this entire time, but i think this song is about his Aunt Jane who he mentions later. He tweeted about the song being about her, but their relationship could have no relation to the lyrics. Her passing must have left a gap in a maternal figure in his life as we have heard about his rocky relationship with his mother. Maybe I’m dead wrong, but the idea of smoking backwoods until your back hurts seems like a release from the emotions you are feeling. The song implicates their relationship was not good either, but because it seems like they were living under the same roof at some point, it is obvious she had some sort of influence. I love the sounds at the end. They remind me of what you hear at the grocery store. The muted music and coins falling.

Favorite lyrics:

Make enough money not to stress that I'm broke Dancing on the second floor elevator coming up slow I don't give a house vote, know I'm getting old How many times do I callem psycho?

8. Kansas

This song is about an extreme infatuation. Instead of saying “let’s not get ahead of ourselves” Roy wants them to “get ahead”, as if to tell his partner that he wants sort of leap without looking or thinking because he is so involved in their romance. It’s about falling head over heels and what happens when you trust someone too much. It was difficult for me to find my meaning in this song, mostly because I was uncertain of where it fell in the storyline. I guess it’s not really my choice to decide how it fits or not. It just does. There’s a chance this happened during the summer camp he talk about in Perfume, but that could be a long shot.

Favorite lyrics:

Damn, I'm burning up Everything I touch Can't let you get ahead Watch it on my skin I fumigate your web

9. September

This song is a reflection of the relationship discussed in “Perfume”. He even references it in the song. He wonders what could have been, but also comes face to face with his own mortality, and if forced to face the fact that he cannot do it all over again. This song is much slower than others, and the music seems more naked. As we near the end of the album, it feels as though Blair is insinuating his own demise. He also mentions that he slept with an ex, so perhaps we will see this person return?

Favorite lyrics:

Yeah, was that a memory that you kept? You know we always kept the film on deck That's Francis Ford in your Honda Accord You wanted more

10. Switchblade

Switchblade is by far my favorite song off the album. There is something about the raw guitar and the genuine aggression in his voice. Three words “five star” (a notebook), “cop car” (implying the heavy presence of police in his neighborhood where everyone just ‘ODs out here’), and “rockstar” (which describes his mentality, and serves as a turning point where we see him finally ready to escape). I just felt like it embodies the discomfort of being a teenager. The fleeting friends and the people who need to follow trends, yes, it might seem stereotypical that I am basically saying "he just gets me", but he does.

Favorite lyrics:

What you gonna miss here, what you gonna miss Growing up dead and your life ain't shit I'm riding round town, I gotta full tank in the whip And everyone around dressed like a fucking bitch

11. Grand Theft Auto

Roy talks about cars often, they contribute to the theme of escapism. His admits to stealing his mother’s car earlier, and the crashed car on the side of the road in “Happy” serves as a metaphor for the relationship in question. “the Cliff” that He drives this persons car over symbolizes that it’s his fault that they ended. I can’t help but notice that the vocals aren’t the same as before. Perhaps he changed the pitch? The art has little to do with the song, and more to do with the scene I imagine could play out in film with this in the back. A femme fatale type drives a stolen car as the woman she murdered with a high school volleyball trophy is in the truck. I don't know, it sort of played out in my head. Maybe I should watch less spy films...

Favorite lyrics:

No tattoos but you're covered No insurance but you're close with your mother

12. California

This song starts off how I hope every song about California starts. It’s slower and more romantic, and it’s about someone who makes him feel like he’s found what he was missing. In its own right, it’s a love letter to California. It makes me feel warm and like I should be looking at the sunset. I feel like this song represents something that the audience really must interpret themselves, it seems as if California plays a large role in his life and it has shaped him in many ways.

Favorite lyrics:

Vans I wore all summer long The pants I tore and never took off The field's burnt down so the feeling's gone There's nothing left for us now

13. Hazel

The final installation of this album is about death, but it is not his own. It toys the idea with the fact that the mother he has long fought with could have possibly passed, but his cat died instead. This could be the reasoning for the title. The beat is something you would hear at the end of a film. As sort of a resolution, the song goes through the themes of the album as a whole, almost as if it was it a montage. He discusses the relationship he is in now as well as the friendships he keeps strong (revisiting an earlier idea of good company). This song reflects on those characters in his life he has lost and how it has affected him and there is something to be said about how heavily loss influences us as we are coming in to our own. Gary, his cat, and his Aunt Jane being the biggest influences.

Roy has tweeted the Cat Heaven with be “forever coming of age”, and the idea of coming of age itself is presented in full force on this album. It’s strange to be growing up in this way and being able to draw parallels to his music. In music, I feel I am constantly being bombarded with an experience that is not my own, but Cat Heaven gave me something that was more than that. It was this form of validation that I had not fully experienced through an album, since well, Melodrama. Quite honestly, if you draw anything from this, i hope it’s that Roy Blair is formidable and he needs more recognition. Of course, he will get it because it is well deserved.

Favorite lyrics: I said, "If she died, who gets to keep my cat?" Don't know why death would affect me like that But it did Least my mom still lives But my cat's gone