Steal the Light

Steal the Light is the sixth studio album by Australian band the Cat Empire, released on 17 May 2013, through Inertia Records and Two Shoes Records. It is the band's first release under an independent label,^[1] and their first in a series of three albums by the band that were produced by Jan Skubiszewski. It was released more than two years and 10 months after their previous album, Cinema (2010) – the band's longest gap between albums at the time. It entered and peaked at No. 3 on the ARIA Albums Chart. Lead single "Brighter Than Gold" was released on 22 February 2013 to commercial success, placing at number 89 in the Triple J Hottest 100, 2013.^[2] Another single, "Steal the Light", was released on 9 May 2013.^[3]

Steal the Light
Studio album by the Cat Empire
Released	17 May 2013
Recorded	2012
Studio	Way of the Eagle Studios
Genre	Alternative
Length	47:09
Label	Two Shoes Inertia
Producer	Jan Skubiszewski
The Cat Empire chronology
Cinema (2010) Steal the Light (2013) Rising with the Sun (2016)
Singles from Steal the Light
"Brighter Than Gold" Released: 22 February 2013 "Steal the Light" Released: 9 May 2013

Background and recording

Felix Riebl wrote most of Steal the Light in a two-star lodge in Athens, while the anti-austerity riots of 2011 were taking place.^[4] He said that the album was written as a return "to an energy that is present on our earlier albums". Unlike the band's previous album, Cinema, which was "about the band going through some shit", Steal the Light was written to be "more about dancing and the energy that our fans know us for".^[5] The band announced in July 2012 that they were rehearsing for the album.^[6]

Artwork

The cover art of the album is the work of Graeme Base, a longtime fan of the band, who convinced the band to lift their 12-year ban on cat references in album art. The choice of Base to design the album art came about when the band were discussing art direction for the record, and Angus suggested using Base's book Animalia as a visual reference. The band decided that they would instead "just call him up and see if he [would] do it". Speaking about his meeting with the band, Base said that he "sat down in the studio with the guys from the Cat Empire and listened to some tracks. We spoke about jungles and ancient civilizations and impossibly impractical instruments...and I tried to keep the grin off my face."^[7]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Clash	[8]
AAA Music	[9]
The Australian	[10]
Daily Express	[11]

Steal the Light received generally positive reviews from music critics. Cai Trefor of Clash called the "pluralist approach" to the album "truly uplifting and original". They concluded the review by stating that the "loose, energetic and rhythmic compositions [on the album would] change shape through improvisation live, but in the way they’re captured on Steal The Light, they are thoroughly enjoyable."^[8] Penny Black Music's Dave Goodwin dubbed the album "infectious catchy", and a "little gem", and said that "if you like your music uplifting, funky, ska'd up to the max and different, [...] this is for you."^[12] Tom Noyes of The Music described the album as an "audio holiday", and said that "Steal The Light shows that even after a decade in the game, the Cat Empire have still got it."^[13] Rachael Pilkington from AAA Music stated that "every song is perfectly crafted and sits seamlessly together, despite sounding so different".^[9]

Julia LeConte of Now said that "no one song is earth-shatteringly memorable, but Steal The Light was recorded to be played at outdoor grassy festivals with the intent of getting people up on their bare feet. At this it succeeds."^[14] Sarah Elks from The Australian described the sound of the record as a "wild mash-up of styles and sounds, but the listener is left energised rather than motion sick", and called the album "fun and frenetic".^[10] The Daily Express reacted less positively to the album, stating that the "curious mix of complicated rock, reggae and jazz espoused by this Melbourne-based sextet is oddly unsatisfying."^[11] Witchdoctor reacted even more negatively to the release, calling the Cat Empire "musical tourists without an original idea in their heads who have let fundamentally dull songwriters rule the roost", and "a band without a centre, except for a singer/songwriter who comes up with the most embarrassing cod-philosophies."^[15]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Brighter Than Gold"	Felix Riebl Harry Angus	3:20
2.	"Prophets in the Sky"	Angus Riebl Ollie McGill Ryan Monro Will Hull-Brown Jamshid Khadiwala	3:48
3.	"Steal The Light"	Riebl Angus	3:45
4.	"Am I Wrong"	Angus Riebl Khadiwala	3:01
5.	"Wild Animals"	Angus	4:02
6.	"Still Young"	Riebl	4:18
7.	"Like A Drum"	Riebl Monro Khadiwala	4:39
8.	"Open Up Your Face"	Angus	4:24
9.	"Go"	Angus Jan Skubiszewski	3:25
10.	"Sleep Won't Sleep"	Riebl Angus	4:43
11.	"Don't Throw Your Hands Up"	Angus	4:08
12.	"All Night Loud"	Riebl	3:31
Total length:			47:09

^[16]

Personnel

The Cat Empire core members Harry James Angus – vocals, trumpet Will Hull-Brown – drums, percussion Jamshid Khadiwhala – turntables, percussion Ollie McGill – piano, organ, backing vocals Ryan Monro – bass guitar Felix Riebl – lead vocals, percussion The Empire Horns (auxiliary members) Kieran Conrau – trombone, backing vocals Ross Irwin – trumpet, backing vocals

Additional musicians Rose Paez – backing vocals (tracks 4, 7) Al Burkoy – violin (tracks 4, 8) Luis Poblete – backing vocals (track 10), bongos (track 10), bell (track 10) Recording details Produced by – Jan Skubiszewski Mixing – Jan Skubiszewski Engineering – Jan Skubiszewski Assistant engineering – Michael O'Connell Mastered by – Geoff Pesche Studio – Way of the Eagle Studios (engineering, mixing); Abbey Road (mastering)

Charts

Chart (2013)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[17]	3
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[18]	88

References

1. Gumble, Daniel (23 January 2017). "PIAS acquires Australian label and distributor Inertia Music". Music Week. Archived from the original on 22 March 2023. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
2. "Hottest 100 – 2013 | triple j". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 10 September 2013. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
3. "Steal The Light Video Clip". The Cat Empire. 8 May 2013. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
4. "The Cat Empire To Hit The Forum". Beat Magazine. Archived from the original on 24 November 2023. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
5. "Interview – The Cat Empire: The ska/jazz band talk the new album, weird gigs and Melbourne's music scene". TNT. Archived from the original on 4 October 2022. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
6. "NEW ALBUM". The Cat Empire. 24 July 2012. Archived from the original on 14 March 2023. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
7. "Artwork unveil for new album 'Steal The Light'". The Cat Empire. 16 April 2013. Archived from the original on 15 March 2023. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
8. Trefor, Cai (29 August 2013). "The Cat Empire – Steal The Light". Clash. Archived from the original on 24 November 2023. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
9. Pilkington, Rachael (14 October 2013). "THE CAT EMPIRE – Steal The Light". AAA Music. Archived from the original on 16 July 2023. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
10. Elks, Sarah (1 June 2013). "Steal the Light (The Cat Empire)". The Australian. Archived from the original on 22 January 2018. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
11. "CD Review: Cat Empire – Steal The Light Away". Daily Express. 25 August 2013. Archived from the original on 19 March 2016. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
12. Goodwin, Dave (15 November 2013). "Cat Empire – Steal the Light". Penny Black Music. Archived from the original on 23 November 2023. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
13. Noyes, Tom (1 May 2013). "Album Review: The Cat Empire – Steal The Light". The Music. Archived from the original on 24 November 2023. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
14. LeConte, Julia (23 May 2013). "The Cat Empire – Steal The Light". Now. Archived from the original on 24 November 2023. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
15. Steel, Gary (9 July 2013). "The Cat Empire – Steal The Light (Two Shoes) CD REVIEW". Witchdoctor. Archived from the original on 18 February 2023. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
16. "Steal the Light".
17. "Australiancharts.com – The Cat Empire – Steal the Light". Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
18. "Dutchcharts.nl – The Cat Empire – Steal the Light" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 February 2024.