Catch Your Breath breaking genre boundaries one gateway song at a time

When you think of metalcore, you might picture raw, in-your-face energy, heavy guitars and guttural screams. But for the band Catch Your Breath, they’ve taken the heavy and blended it with something unexpected: poppy vocals and passion.

The Zoom is alive with energy as the members of Catch Your Breath settle into their chairs. The Texas-based band — comprised of Josh Mowery (vocals), Onell Hernandez (drums), Cianan Madigan (bass) and Teddy Herrera (guitar) — are riding the wave of their recent successes. Their 2023 debut album Shame On Me, released through Thriller Records, has launched them from underground contenders to rising stars in the modern metalcore and alt-rock scene, as well as touring with acclaimed artists such as Dayseeker, Falling in Reverse and Ice Nine Kills. Their journey didn’t happen overnight, but in a way, it feels like it did.

Formed originally as a project in 2013 by Herrera (originally named Intertia) the band got its start with the help of his friend and producer, Curtis Martin. It took years of trial, error and lineup changes before Catch Your Breath arrived at the four-piece that we know today. “It started out as an idea. My friend and producer, Curtis, had his band, and then I thought, ‘I’m gonna start a band,’” recalls Herrera. “In 2013 until 2020, that time was sitting around, saving money to do stuff the right way or finding members to keep or kick out because everyone just didn’t get the vision.” This frustration of finding the missing piece led Herrera to go through roughly 20 band members before finding the “right people that understood what I was trying to do.”

Catch Your Breath’s early sound was aggressive, heavy metal with a biting edge. But as the band evolved, so did their sound. “A lot of those [heavier] songs were already pre-written with Kile Odell and Curtis Martin, and [Catch Your Breath] had a different vocalist, Sammy,” Mowery says. “We came into ‘Criminal’ with a completely clean slate. I really wanted to try out singing more comfortably in my natural tone and that’s kind of when we made the switch to ‘Oh Josh’s natural poppy [sound] actually works really good and we really like it.’”

The result was a sound that was still heavy but added a layer of palatability, drawing in fans who might have otherwise dismissed them. Early tracks like “Fade” and “Ricochet” were aggressive, raw and unapologetically metalcore, while newer songs like “Shame on Me” and “Y.S.K.W.” reflect a more melodic, emotionally-driven style, blending their roots with a more accessible, universal appeal.

Then there’s “Dial Tone” the song that not only changed their sound but also catapulted them into the spotlight. When “Dial Tone” hit the scene, it became an instant game changer, debuting on Sirius XM Octane radio, hitting number three on Spotify Metal’s worldwide chart and number seven on Billboard’s Hot Hard Rock Songs. “As I laid the first chorus, I think we were all like, ‘Holy shit, this is great, this is legitimately, objectively great.’” Mowery recalls. Herrera echoes Mowery and confirms that they “all knew as soon as we finished it this was going to change our lives.”

The feeling in what they all just created was something special. “You know a song’s really gonna hit when you can stop being that overly analytical person and listen to it in your spare time and think, ‘Oh yeah, I just like the song I’m not overthinking anything about it,’” Madigan says.

As Catch Your Breath continues to rise in popularity, they’ve embraced the idea of genrebending and pushing the boundaries of what their music can be. Often referring to themselves as a “gateway band” to metalcore, their unique blend of sounds doesn’t fit into one specific genre. “I know we already have like a ton [of genres], but if I were to try to put my finger on it, it would be like the new alternative metal where we’re not metalcore, but we’re also not completely a pop or alternative band. We still have core aspects to us.”

“People are really reaching and trying to find a new way to describe it,” Herrera says of the band’s sound. “But the whole thing that is popping off now is genre bending and blending. To come up with something fresh that people haven’t already heard a hundred times before.”

“We got called ‘baddie-core’. We’re heavy enough for the underground people to like us, but we’re also palatable and apparently ‘hot enough’ for normal hot people to listen to us,” Mowery jokes.

When it comes to the genre and how the band classifies themselves, they refuse to be boxed in and instead wants to focus on making great music, regardless of the descriptor. “One of the challenges that we want to succeed at is taking the aspect of genres and completely throwing it away.” Mowery declares. “Who really cares who wrote a great song, as long as it’s a great song? Let the artist create the art and just enjoy it for what it is.” This approach is part of what has earned them the respect and admiration of fans from various music scenes and genres across the board.

“The world is moving into its full expression and saying goodbye to genres and limitations,” Mowery says.

With seven million listeners on Spotify and 101 million streams across more than 180 countries in 2024, Catch Your Breath has become a prime example of how social media can turn a local band into a literal global sensation. Their connection with fans is evident, not only through their music but also through their willingness to engage with followers on platforms like Discord, Twitch and TikTok.

The band credits TikTok as being the driving force behind their rise in popularity. “Without TikTok, we wouldn’t be anywhere close to where we’re at right now,” Herrera says. “It’s the most direct translating conversion there is to any sort of medium.” Hernandez shares “it doesn’t feel real.”

Fresh off a run on tour with American posthardcore Dayseeker, Catch Your Breath is now gearing up for the start of their first ever headline tour, the Broken Souls tour, which is slated to start in February with support from emo-rockers The Funeral Portrait, metal band ARCHERS and alternative metalcore band If Not For Me. Following the band will be sailing across the sea for their European Savages tour with post-hardcore group Until I Wake and melodic hardcore group OF VIRTUE supporting along the way. Succeeding

both of their headline tours, Catch Your Breath is scheduled to make an appearance at this years Inkcarceration Festival in Mansfield, OH.

The excitement for their first ever headlining tour is palpable, but as Mowery admits, it’s also a little intimidating. “It’s scary. I’m excited for the first time for everything. God, I hope it doesn’t suck,” he shares with a joking grin. Though a smidge scary, Mowery shares excitement in that the band recently upgraded the venue in Philadelphia due to the initial, smaller venue selling out. On top of visiting cities they’ve never been, they’re also looking forward to performing new material and meeting their fans. “We’re gonna be playing the big [songs] and then we’re playing one or two new ones that we haven’t played live,” Mowery says. “Come be a friend. Come watch us off tour. Come meet us on tour.”

Catch Your Breath is embracing the idea of blending genres, pushing boundaries and never giving up. In a world that loves to categorize, Catch Your Breath continues to refuse to be boxed in. Their message is simple: “It’s never too late to start, or it doesn’t matter how long it takes, as long as you do it, you never know what can happen.”