Cool for Cats

by Chris WoodstraAfter the false start of their debut, Squeeze recast themselves as a quintessentially British band, packing the songs with exaggerated accents and British slang, and incorporating a nearly cinematic narrative style to make incisive observations on British working-class life with a sly, skewed wit and a sex-obsessed thematic undercurrent. Musically, the band often rocks harder than it did on that debut, this time adding synth-driven arrangements while retaining a working-class pub rock sensibility. Cool for Cats stands as Squeeze's first truly great album and boasts arguably the band's finest story-song in "Up the Junction," a timeless gem, as well as the unforgettable Chris Difford-sung hit title track.