‘5-piece-and-a-biscuit’ is how progressive post-hardcore band Cat Company describes themselves.

Hailing from various parts of central Florida, vocalist Jay Christian, drummer Ian Keith, bassist Ryan Martinez and guitarists Lawrence Brown and Sean Dolich knew one another through mutual friends and played in various bands together for a few years.

Their debut, self-titled EP was released in May with five songs one could ‘mosh or form a soul train line to’. Their influences range from Closure in Moscow, The Fall of Troy, Taking Back Sunday and Sianvar, all of which can be pinpointed throughout each track.

Brown wrote the majority of the music before reaching out to Dolich to produce, all while looking for other members to complete the project. Martinez and Keith trickled in and tracked the instrumentals, and a year would go by before finding a vocalist. Everything was self-recorded at Dolich’s studio, Mosshaus, in Ormond Beach, Florida.

“We've all been in bands prior to this one so we all had our toes dipped in the water as far as recording experience goes, but the process was buttery smooth thanks to the fact that it was one of our own members handling most of the production,” Martinez said. “It took over two years to record basically working on it together once a week, but it was definitely worth the time spent as we got to really refine how we wanted every single section to sound.”

Their first single, “Sad Dance”, is based around trying to find a way through the curveballs that life throws. It encourages finding motivation, realizing obstacles and deciding whether or not to pursue the goal.

“It’s about being caught in between the self doubt and the breaking free of psychological limitations,” Martinez said.

“Kusanagi” comes from the legend of the blade of the same name, which was believed to be cursed and brought misfortune to anyone who gazed upon it. They took the concept of the myth and translated it into a relationship with a toxic person.

The other tracks on the album - “Maroon Sweater”, “Morpheus The Black” and “Firestarter” - touch on topics of insecurity, speaking one’s mind and pessimism. They express much of their story through instrumentation, leaving the interpretation up to the listener.

Cat Company is in a lot of ways, open to interpretation. From their songs to their band name, they want the audience to decipher however they want. They want the music to speak for itself, and they’re hoping their self-titled EP will do just that.