First Listen: Catch ‘Heisenberg’

Catch is MOBO-nominated rapper, who first caught the eye with a verse on north London rapper Clavish’s track ‘Stay Rappin'’. The voice. The cadence. The authority and authenticity as she delivered heavy-handed with a vim that felt as if it smacked you in the face. Hard-hitting rap at its finest, in an era of UK rap, which at least in the mainstream has dipped a bit.

From South of the river, she has also featured on the projects of Marnz Malone and Tiny Boost, as well as co-signs from the likes of Giggs, D Block Europe and Dave. Last year she released her debut EP ‘Young Trapper’s Dream’.

The initial reaction

Her new single ‘Heisenberg’ is produced by multi-award-winning artist SANTAN DAVE, and you can hear what is quietly becoming his production signature. The beat, which developed from a simple eight-loop bar, favours emotion, which is captured through the masterful sampling of Elmiene’s ‘Marking My Time’.

The track was recorded at London’s iconic Abbey Road Studios, and with frank honestly Catch, we meet her at her lowest and most raw, as she reflects on serving a custodial sentence. However, time doesn’t stop as she combats subjects of guilt, mental health, religion and sexuality that have been weighing on her consciousness

The title itself, ‘Heisenberg’, is taken from a character in the critically acclaimed series Breaking Bad. And Catch, remembering the creative process behind it, told us that she rapped the lyrics straight over it, finding the pockets.

Artist perception

Speaking about the Meaning behind the song, Catch believes that “Heisenberg is really a testimony to the journey I’m on. It’s about where I’ve been, what I’ve had to overcome, and staying focused even when things feel heavy.”

“I was coming out of a really intense period of my life, and music was the only way I could process guilt, pressure, faith, mental health and all of that. This song is me being honest about that headspace.”

She added: “I want people to hear it and feel like you can come from a dark place and still move forward with clarity and confidence.”

As mentioned, she worked closely with Dave, who produced the track.“Dave shouted me at like 2-3am to link at the studio”, she revealed.

“When someone like that calls you at that time, you just go – because if you wait, he might be in Monaco by morning.”

“I remember saying to him, ‘I feel like we’re at about 75% and it’s 5am now, let’s call it.’ And he was like, ‘No. I’m getting this to 100%.’ That’s just how he works”, she continued.

“What’s different about Dave is that he’s a rapper first, so when he’s producing, he already understands how lyrics need to sit. I trust it more because I know he’s rapped over these kinds of beats himself.”

The accompanying video

“I wanted the visuals to feel very real and very focused – almost like a performance piece. Nothing over-styled, just presence”, Catch said.

“The song doesn’t need loads of distraction. I can cut to the moments that matter, the lines that really hit. It’s about capturing energy more than perfection.”

“The idea was to let the visuals sit with the lyrics, not overpower them. Just enough to bring the world of the track to life.”

Listen here