Having amassed a huge local and international following since 2001, Melbourne band The Cat Empire returned to the studio to record their fourth studio album.

With number one hits, headlining slots at prestigious worldwide music festivals, and even appearances on David Letterman and Jay Leno, The Cat Empire have the world at their stage, and Cinema is the show .

Opening song Waiting begins like any other The Cat Empire track and will translate well to a live performance with its toe tapping beat. What sounds like a record scratching opens second song Falling, which has single release potential due to its excellent lyrics and great brass section courtesy of the Empire Horns.

Cinema also has a few darker named tracks, including one of the highlights of the album All Hell, with lead singer Felix Riebl’s brooding voice performing something of an anthem for cinema over what sounds like a 40s jazz swing band.

Shoulders is not only a candidate for an album highlight, but it also wins best lyric on the album with the line “I saw you walking up the wall, like the Exorcist.” It’s slower paced than usual for the Empire, but has a backing beat that draws the listener in and a nice little jamming session to top the song off as it fades out.

Despite the dark title The Heart Is A Cannibal is all about love, and will once again be one of those songs that has the crowds dancing at Cat Empire live shows. Call Me Home features a brief return of that DJ record scratching, courtesy of Jamshid “DJ Jumps” Khadiwhala and also offers the regular Cat Empire party vibes.

Final two tracks Overall and Beyond All are stunning additions to the album; Overall has that typical Cat Empire vibe, but Beyond All is an incredibly fast paced and fun song, which closes the curtain on Cinema with a bang.