Coming at your ears like a much-needed burst of optimism and offbeat charm, cootie catcher’s latest release Something We All Got delivers unpredictable joy over its 14 tracks. Imagine Pavement, The Moldy Peaches, and early-era Flaming Lips thrown into a blender. You’re somewhere in the ballpark. The Toronto quartet thrives in that slightly left-field pocket of indie coolness, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. In fact, Something We All Got already stands out as my favorite release of 2026 so far. That status is possibly helped by the fact it has served as audible sunshine during one of the wettest winters on UK record.
This album feels like your best friend grabbing you by the scruff of the neck and dragging you outside for a day of low-stakes misadventure. Loose, playful, and never cloying, cootie catcher know how to write a hook—and then deliberately bend, warp, or slightly misshape it into something more memorable and often weird. Dribbling synth lines and distorted keyboard tones snake through harmonized vocals and slacker guitars, creating a sound that feels casual, curious, and full of movement.
For a band that previously thrived in basement recordings, Something We All Got marks a notable shift. This is cootie catcher’s third album, but their first recorded in a proper studio, with Nate Amos (Water From Your Eyes, This Is Lorelei) stepping in as producer. The upgrade in surroundings hasn’t dulled their personality, though. If anything, it has sharpened it. The album crackles with jangle-pop energy, hypercharged by spiraling synths, scattered electronics, and scratched samples that feel discovered rather than designed.
There’s a distinctly cinematic quality to the record, too. It plays like the lost soundtrack to some impossibly cool ’90s indie film your older sibling once insisted you watch. The immersion hits immediately and is oddly sticky. At first, it dazzles with sugar-rush melodies and bright textures, but repeated listens reveal something stranger beneath the surface. Amos’ production leans into a warped, bubblegum nostalgia, rewarding patience as small details emerge gradually.
Highlights on the album are plentiful. “Quarter Note Rock” shows exactly why cootie catcher are worth your time. Screechy embellishments, shared vocal duties, sing-along strummed guitars, and a bouncing bassline collide to create a chaotic pop charmer that feels moments away from falling apart. And yet, it never does. It’s messy in the best possible way.
“Puzzle Pop” may seem somewhat unhinged. But it’s exactly that energy that makes the track another standout. On the track, the band folds in whistles, cowbell, and manipulated vocals to create an absolute bop. It’s outrageously catchy while still feeling completely fresh, walking that rare line between novelty and genuine pop brilliance. The track has rightly earned its place on Cone Magazine’s “THE DELIVERY” playlist.
Across the record, cootie catcher blur the lines between earnestness and irony, polish and scruff. Nothing here feels overly precious or self-conscious. Instead, Something We All Got thrives on its sense of freedom, as if the band trusted their instincts just enough to let things get strange.
By the time the album closes, it’s hard not to feel lifted—lighter, even. Something We All Got is an absolute gem of an indie record: overflowing with ideas, yet all contained within immaculate pop structures. It’s a joy from start to finish and proof that sometimes the weirdest paths lead to the most rewarding destinations.