Achieving a flow between innovation and power-pop is a feat that artists struggle with everyday.
The musical prowess of
Catlow, however, makes it appear deceptively simple.
Perhaps most significant is that
Catlow is the new incarnation of
Natasha Thirsk, lead-singer for indierock darling
The Dirtmitts.
Raised in
Vancouver,
BC, Natasha's family was the foundation of her music talent - her mother a piano player and her father in a gospel sax quartet.
Many years of bouncing from one instrument to another eventually led to the discovery that songwriting came easily to Natasha and by her mid-teens she was immersed in music of her own.
After dabbling in programming bass-heavy dance beats for two years, Natasha became a self-taught guitar player by the age of 21.
Tapping into her talents as a multi-faceted artist - singer, songwriter and musician - alongside of friend
Jennifer Deon, before long
The Dirtmitts were formed.
The summer of 2001 saw the release of their self-titled debut on
Sonic Unyon Records.
The 12-song effort won the hearts of indie rockers and critics worldwide and the album finished in the Top 50 of the 2001 Canadian college music charts.
The impact was strongly felt at home and after a few 'cross Canada and U.S. tours,
The Dirtmitts became the first Sonic Unyon band to tour the U.K. where their London show saw highlighted mention in Time Out magazine as the "pick of the night".
Back home, the band headed into the studio to record their follow-up album Get On, which was released in late 2002.
"In the Meantime" and "Fix Destroy", two tracks from the first album, were used in episodes of the hit
Fox television series 24, the
NBC teen series Just Deal and in the incidental music of
American Psycho 2.
A recent highlight was the inclusion of the title track "Get On" in the Showtime television series soundtrack
The L Word: Second Season, released on
Tommy Boy Records.
While the efforts of her rock combo have kept Natasha busy, somehow she remarkably found time to develop her own solo project -
Catlow.
The debut album, Kiss the World, was born out of three years of creativity centered around Studio 9 in Los Angeles and beautifully exemplifies all of Natasha's artistic strengths.
With a seamless yet intricate weave of textured vocals and teasingly provocative lyrics, this incredibly diverse recording is complimented by the world class musicianship of Ian Browne (
Matthew Good Band), Wil Golden (
Michelle Branch), Ed Maxwell, and Al Sgro (
Gary Jules) along with several others.
With instantly accessible melodies and enough eccentric charm to win over fans of
Rilo Kiley,
Blonde Redhead and
The Breeders,
Kiss the World is already highly acclaimed by tastemakers across North America.
Albums

<br>
Kiss the World (2005)
External Links
Catlow official site Catlow at Boompa