The Black Cat Bone Spell (2020)

1. Hobo with a Shotglass — 08:00 2. Looking for Gas — 04:18 3. Roadtrip — 05:26 4. Bag of Bones — 03:26 5. Funeral March — 05:00 6. The One-eyed Snake — 04:16 7. Shortcut to Slavery — 04:36 8. Ash in My Beer — 05:18 9. Angry White Boy — 03:16

Track 01 – Hobo with a Shotglass (08:00)

Behind the Music

“Hobo with a Shotglass” takes its name from the movie Hobo with a Shotgun. We’re not much into guns, but we are very much into shotglasses. The song is about a bar-crawling ghost figure who survives by stealing half-drunk drinks left behind on sticky tables. Bar to bar, glass to glass, chasing the next fix. Watch your drinks, ladies and gents... but also know you can get pissed without paying a dime (pro tip). The gospel-style intro was born in the studio while we were brutally hung over from the night before. What it means, and how it ends, is up to the listener. ZZ Top spirit, cheap booze theology.

Lyrics

Track 02 – Looking for Gas (04:18)

Behind the Music

“Looking for Gas” is pulled straight from real life. On the way to a gig our beloved van (which Mike insists is NOT crappy) died on the roadside. We thought the engine was done for good. The fuel pump in that thing had a habit of failing, so we tried the usual fix: blowing the diesel lines with a bicycle hand pump. Turns out the problem wasn’t the pump... it was the complete lack of diesel. Mike and Peter went on a long, miserable hike to a service station carrying a gas can and complaining every step of the way. Against all odds, we still made the gig on time. Funky survival blues with a heavy Led Zeppelin streak.

Lyrics

Track 03 – Roadtrip (05:26)

Behind the Music

“Roadtrip” tells the story of a midnight drive home after a gig. While we were playing, a full-blown blizzard rolled in. By the time Bart took the wheel, the road had dissolved into a single white void... no lines, no bumps, no landmarks, nothing. Snow kept coming down with zero visibility. Somewhere in the middle of nowhere, on a roundabout, we nearly hit something crossing the road. Maybe a cyclist, maybe a deer, maybe a grizzly bear. Nobody got hurt. What should’ve been a 2.5 hour ride turned into nearly five hours of slow, frozen survival.

Lyrics

Track 04 – Bag of Bones (03:26)

Behind the Music

“Bag of Bones” comes with a sincere apology to Mike. Lyrics written by Peter and Bart, the song is inspired by Mike’s legendary dancing skills. He’s like fire on the dance floor (just not the good kind). His wife has officially forbidden him from ever dancing in public, but when she’s not around he can’t help himself. Sadly, he moves like a bag of bones rattling in the wind. The song hides a few dance steps left and right, just in case you want to join in. Come on everybody… do the bag of bones.

Lyrics

Track 05 – Funeral March (05:00)

Behind the Music

This track started with one simple question: what if Black Sabbath hosted a New Orleans funeral? We’re not connected to New Orleans funeral bands, and we’re definitely not Black Sabbath, but this song shows what we love about our own band. It’s the odd one out and we like it that way. Anything we’re curious about, we explore, and if it sticks, it stays. In the studio we leaned hard into improvisation: spooky cymbal sounds made with a violin bow, and a found recording of a preacher going completely berserk preaching fire and brimstone. Should we keep this madness? The answer was obvious. Why not. Slow. Doom.

Lyrics

Track 06 – The One-eyed Snake (04:16)

Behind the Music

“The One Eyed Snake”: what’s in a name, right? You might think it’s about a dick. It’s not. It’s about the mark Peter carries. For fifty euros, a self-proclaimed ink-conjurer claimed Peter’s arm, binding it in a serpent of shadow. There was an older spirit under the skin already, a previous tattoo Peter hoped to save. But the new ink showed no mercy; it buried the past under a masterpiece of chaos. The lines are thick, jagged, and black as a moonless bayou night, looking less like art and more like they were chiseled into the bone by a restless hand. No straight paths, no holy rules. Just cheap ink and a bit of back-alley ritual that shouldn't work, but somehow, it breathes. It’s raw, it’s organic, and it’s exactly like our music: a beautiful mess that refuses to stay dead.

Lyrics

Track 07 – Shortcut to Slavery (04:36)

Behind the Music

Shortcut to slavery... What can we say about this one without being killed by outlaw biker gangs? Euh... well... Nothing, hahaha

Lyrics

Track 08 – Ash in My Beer (05:18)

Behind the Music

“Ash in My Beer” is born out of pure frustration. You put your drink down for a second in a sea of empty bottles. You grab it again, take a swig… and there it is. Ash in your beer. That exact moment of betrayal, when your good time turns into a mouthful of nastyness.

Lyrics

Track 09 – Angry White Boy (03:16)

Behind the Music

Ever felt like picking a fight for no reason at all? Getting pissed off just because other people dare to breathe the same air as you do? Tap into that pointless, boiling frustration, you angry white boy.