Blake Cateris Shares Second Solo Single, 'It'll Never Happen To Me'

Blake Cateris. Image: Supplied

Fresh from the release of his debut solo single back in February, Sydney songwriter Blake Cateris has unveiled his latest release, "It'll Never Happen To Me".

Renowned for his work as the frontman of punk outfit Molly & The Krells, Cateris has a resumé that most fellow musicians could only dream of. Having previously shared stages with the likes of Bodyjar, Hard-Ons, 28 Days, and The Getaway Plan, and currently holding a residency at the iconic Frankie’s Pizza By The Slice, there's very little that he can't do.

Back in February, Cateris offered up his debut solo single, sharing his own version of Duran Duran's "Careless Memories".

“Through the lockdowns in 2020, I started up a requests system where I’d learn anything and everything people threw at me in return for a fee to help cover expenses since I couldn’t work," he explained. "I discovered some amazing new music this way and one of the songs that came my way was Duran Duran’s 'Careless Memories'.

"While I was reading through the lyrics, I discovered how beautifully brilliant and well-crafted they were – like I was reading poetry," he adds. "Only to then be thrust on top of an upbeat '80s pop-rock song, I could hear it almost instantly: how good of an opportunity it was to put these lyrics to a more sombre and exposed arrangement."

Since then, he's received widespread acclaim for the track, with countless fans asking to hear more of the same. Now, he's back with another track, sharing a new original by way of "It'll Never Happen To Me".

A ferocious example of what makes Cateris one of Australia’s most important artists, "It'll Never Happen To Me" is folk-punk brilliance the whole way though. As Cateris explains, the track is something of tongue-in-cheek take on the idiocy that ensued during the global pandemic, and serves as a powerful social commentary on the hardships we've all experienced in recent years.

"The whole song was more or less a knee-jerk reaction to the impending shitshow that was 2020 and 2021," Cateris explains. "We were about to go into lockdown, my band at the time was halfway through a seven date tour of Australia which we obviously had to cancel the remainder of, as well as the fact that I’m a full-time musician, I was 110% going to lose my job.

"Soon after realising that most people were going to be losing their job, this sense of 'we’re all in this together swept over me' only to snap back to reality and accept all the sad, crazy, and scary behaviour that we were exhibiting globally as a species," he adds. "Then the song basically fell out of me in one afternoon."

With stylistic comparisons able to made to the likes of Frank Turner, Butch Walker, Dave Hause, and Against Me!'s Laura Jane Grace, Cateris is undeniably an inimitable artist whose sense of social commentary and righteous anger is unmatched.

With a release show set for Lazybones Lounge in Sydney, the future is definitely looking bright for Cateris, who is currently working towards the release of a larger body of work in the coming months.

"I’ve got an EP worth of music planned over the coming year as well as looking to get interstate and play for some new crowds, so hopefully the adventures don’t stop anytime soon," he explains.

Blake Cateris' "It'll Never Happen To Me" is out today.