Haggard Cat are a critically acclaimed British post hardcore/alt-rock duo composed of drummer/backing vocalist Tom Marsh and vocalist/guitarist Matt Reynolds. Both members are seen as core pillars of the UK rock and metal scene, having initially made names for themselves as members of the cult band Heck (formerly Baby Godzilla) who were active from 2009-2017. Haggard Cat started as a side project for Tom and Matt, but soon became their main focus when Heck disbanded in 2017.
For their highly anticipated third full-length album, The Pain That Orbits Life, (releasing May 8 2026) Haggard Cat have teamed up with double Grammy award-winning producer Adrian Bushby to create their most accomplished body of work to date. The album sees the band draw on more progressive influences, featuring sprawling epics and industrial synths along with huge choruses and the more adrenaline-charged moments that they have become well known for.
Tom and Matt write: “We worked on this album for a very long time. It’s rare that at this stage in your career you get to spend the longest you ever have on a body of work, but this time, not in any small way due to the circumstances surrounding us both in the world and in our own lives, that’s where we found ourselves. We definitely didn’t feel it at the time, but now we’re super thankful for the time that fate gave us to create this record. It was a journey of self reflection and personal growth and what we have arrived at is an album that’s more evolved, more deeply personal and most of all more definitively Haggard Cat than anything that’s come from us before it. We’re incredibly proud of this record and we absolutely can’t wait for you to hear it.”
We thought it about time we got a “feline” for what makes Haggard Cat purr, so we asked Matt and Tom to share four records that have been huge influences on their song writing.
Tom: Pink Floyd – Meddle
It’s no secret that my favourite band of all time is Pink Floyd. Meddle in particular has always shown me that songs don’t have to be “verse chorus verse chorus end”. It’s honest, earnest and they lean into it fully like no other has. I guess they’re the ultimate punk band because they literally don’t give a shit. And that’s why I like them so much and probably why my favourite songs are almost always long ones.
Tom: The Mars Volta – De-loused In The Comatorium
Unfortunately for me, TMV peaked at their first album. The unrivalled musical chaos and musicianship in this record was, and still is, unmatched to this day. Yes, their later albums are great, but nothing captured the magic of this one. As a drummer, no-one has even come close to what Jon Theodore did here. One of the few albums that still excites me every time I put it on.
Matt: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus
Nick Cave has long been an inspiration to me in the way that he writes with such beauty and yet performs with such vitriol and palpable energy. If ever I’m feeling stuck for a phrase, I find I can play a Nick Cave record and that the urgency and lucidity in his lyrics loosen things right up again. I read a lot of Nick Cave’s books while writing the lyrics for TPTOL and found it really put me in the right state of mind to write directly from the heart. Choosing just one record from his amazing back catalogue of various projects was near impossible, but Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus really does have it all. At times it snarls with spite and aggression, at others it’s delicately limerent, horny and heart-breaking. It’s a total journey of human emotion through to the realms of spirituality.
Matt: Baroness – Purple
I couldn’t contribute to this list without including a Baroness record. Simply put, I adore this band. I often find that Purple doesn’t get the love it deserves from their back catalogue, but this is the album of their career for me. So many wonderful memories are tied to listening to this album over the years; I always come back to it and I never tire of it. The huge opening riff of ‘Morningstar’ always floors me from the off, the complete Floyd worship and epic-ness of ‘Chlorine & Wine’ speaks directly to my heart and if you’re not utterly charmed by the melancholy of ‘If I Have To Wake Up’ then we can’t be friends.
The Pain That Orbits Life is set for release on May 8 2026 via Church Road Records and can be pre-ordered here on Bandcamp.
