REVIEW: Tigercub - Nets To Catch The Wind
- Julia Stark
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
TIGERCUB are at the forefront of alt-rock bands leading the new wave of sound that’s impacting the rock scene, soaking the music world with their momentous new album, Nets To Catch The Wind, releasing 10th April via Loosegroove Records. Recorded over barely a week and produced by Tom Dalgety (who’s worked with legends ROYAL BLOOD and GHOST), it shows TIGERCUB at an emotional and intense level not yet seen.
Consistent in its sound and impeccable production, Nets To Catch The Wind is trancelike, ensnaring the listener into a full body sway and head bang. There’s an emotive quality to it that feels just out of descriptive reach, evoking feelings of yearning and a sense of danger where the risk is worth any consequence. Sensually evocative and expressive, Nets To Catch The Wind is an atmospheric journey through the darkness.
Starting slowly and introducing one instrument at a time, Silver Smile is a heartbeat in song form, with a pulsing drum beat, guitar chords that complement perfectly against the faint strings in the background, the bass blending into the melody before rearing up. Jamie Hall’s vocals have a desperate and despairing feel to them, as if begging to be released from whoever’s got their hooks in him but also not wanting to be let go. Fall In Fall Out kicks in with a deceptively upbeat guitar riff and Jimi Wheelwright’s deliciously heavy bass notes, that both quickly fall into minor chords while drummer James Allix makes his presence felt with shoulder swaying beats and a gradually building snare roll.
Stuck in the Melancholy fades in with a funky and eerie riff reminiscent of THE KREEPS, feeling slightly understated until the instruments crash in together in a catchy cacophony. Hall delivers ranging and yearning lyrics of “wake me up again, so I can pretend” over his crispy distorted rhythms and stirring solos; Allix switches from an understated beat to hammering tones; Wheelwright consistently delivers a bass line guaranteed to sway bodies.
By this point, it’s clear to see no two songs are the same, yet all are consistent in their tones and production. I’m Breaking Out evokes a ROYAL BLOOD feel in its sound. Instruments and vocals are packed with power before suddenly falling away for the stripped back breakdown of Hall’s echoing solo vocals. They tear back in for a final adrenaline rush in its crispy, pounding melody. A Black Moon holds juxtaposing chords against high-pitched guitar notes, while Hall’s singing swells in a smoothly captivating manner. It’s the breakdown that really hits different though, for a moment feeling like John Murphy’s In The House – In a Heartbeat, dropping down to a tasty riff and Wheelwright’s pulsating bass beat before climbing back into a dark atmosphere. Starting with a soft falsetto, Head Over Heels pivots to a thundering chorus and a breakdown of haunting vocals echoing over guitar solos and jarring feedback, epitomising the push and pull of being in love or obsessed with someone.
Nightmares slows down with a simple instrumental introduction that reverbs in the background while Hall bears all his vulnerability, before soaring into a clash of distorted instruments over the lyrics “let the world collide”, accompanied by a spicy, descending riff. A deceptive ballad start of stripped back guitars and faint acoustic, My Paper Heart grabs you by the neck and slams you into an atmospheric sound that feels like ROYAL BLOOD and RADIOHEAD cooked together. 12-second interlude Golden Sands breaks up the album with muffled piano and snare, before launching into the fast-paced and edgy Magic Sleep. Allix and Wheelwright crash in from the first bars and command your attention while slick riffs dominate throughout the track.
Cut The Eyes Out Of The Photographs is hypnotising in its rhythm and vocals, switching from an understated verse of unstoppable drums and bass, to an electrifying chorus where the band ramps up into a daring, pulsing beat. CLUTCH’S Neil Fallon features for a borderline ominous spoken word section, giving way to a charged guitar solo. Closing out Nets To Catch The Wind is a tempo building, bass heavy Sadness, Don’t You Worry that weaves between pitches and moods, falling back only to boom back in again. Nets To Catch The Wind is an album you can feel yourself sinking into with ease.
Score: 8/10
Nets To Catch The Wind will be released on 10th April 2026 via Loosegroove Records.
Words: Julia Stark
Photos: Andreia Lemos
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