Stick it to the Man
The New Single from Catchfire Brings a Thunderous Uproar
I’m back at it one more time to write about the youthful and exuberant band that is Catchfire and their new single ‘Stick it to the Man’, releasing this Friday, March 28th. The band will be debuting the song to a live audience at Nashville’s, Vinyl Lounge. While I will not be able to attend due to a previously scheduled engagement, the group did send me a copy of the track ahead of time to check out. If there is one thing, I can say about Catchfire, it is that they work hard at what they do. Not only do they grind out musically, but they are actively growing their audience on social media, and the combination of the two has led to them playing bigger and more attended venues.
I first encountered the ensemble at The Underdog on Nashville’s east side in July of 2024 and they were playing for maybe thirty people on a Tuesday night. I also covered their last big release in October called, ‘Wild Side’ which is their most listened to song on Spotify. Not only has the band been growing their fanbase, but they have been maturing as players and as songwriters. This new song is evidence of their depth as a dynamic and finely tuned collection of musicians. Here’s my take on the new drop:
Maddy Ferri again reels us in with her sensual voice. As the vocals burst in, with the mantra that is the songs title, “Stick it- to- the Man!”, she vocally counts in the rest of the band with the verse. We are then hit with a grungy guitar riff that sounds like an engine revving at the beginning of an illegal street race. Maddy hums a bar or two with the sounds of that oily gear shifting axe that is being thrummed by Travis Fairley. The bass and drums ramp up the anticipation with a steady pounding that literally drives the intro. The song would certainly be lesser without the hard working mechanics that are Chancellor Ruster (bass) and Cole Calise (drums). When the flag is dropped by Maddy’s voice, attending the players once again, the tires screech with the pitch of a different sound. The song is engaged and so is the listener.
I love how clean this track is. It is a true testament into their production value and the uptick that I have personally seen in their professionalism. The mixing of the song by engineer Steve Hardy is absolutely fantastic. This band hits hard and plays fast but there isn’t any fallout of chaos. The song could quite easily fit into a movie soundtrack that is looking for a theme song. I imagine the underdog protagonist fighting against the corporate entity, who is looking to capitalize on humanities willingness to overlook their wrong doings for a handful of dimes. Or a woman, scorned by a lover, waning to enact revenge on the person that tried to pull her under. He though she was weak, but he was indisputably wrong. Either way, the hook of “Stick it to the Man” resonates on whatever level you want. It is a recognizable chant that we all want to hear, and we are getting it in this single. It is unabashed, raw, gritty, truthful and much needed. Kudos to the work of mastering engineer Andy VanDette and Travis doubling down as the recording engineer. It all works beautifully.
Verse 1:
Bitter red blood
On my tongue
Been biting it for too long
Dirty footprints
On my white shirt
From being walked on
You think you’re so nice but you’re so damn fake
Someone needs to put you in your place
Chorus:
I’m sticking it to the man
Sticking it to the man
Sticking it to the man
I’m sticking it to the man
Sticking it to the man
Sticking it to the man
Hey hey
Hey hey
Hey hey
Hey hey
Hey hey
Hey hey
Verse 2:
You always talk down
Like you own the town
With every chance you get
You’re no hot shot
You can’t ever be taught
I’m getting tired of this shit
I have to tell you now, this can’t wait
It’s time I put you in your place
Chorus:
I’m sticking it to the man
Sticking it to the man
Sticking it to the man
I’m sticking it to the man
Sticking it to the man
Sticking it to the man
Hey hey
Hey hey
Hey hey
Hey hey
Hey hey
Hey hey
Bridge:
It’s time I speak up
It’s time I speak up
It’s time I speak up
Chorus:
I’m sticking it to the man
Sticking it to the man
Sticking it to the man
I’m sticking it to the man
Sticking it to the man
Sticking it to the man
Hey hey
Hey hey
Hey hey
Hey hey
Hey hey
Hey hey
At the two-and-a-half-minute mark we hear all the showmanship of the entire group as they dedicate this portion to highlight their talents with an intensity of high pitched electric plucking combined with the deep thumping and driving lines in an up-tempo onslaught of cadence. It’s classic rock and roll personified. I have added it to my playlist, and I want to road trip with this song. Catchfire has put together another wonderful piece to add to their setlist and wait until you see them live. But don’t look directly at them… they might melt your face.