The Cat Empire

High-spirited Australian group The Cat Empire have been wildly exploratory since their 1999 formation, trading in a wide array of styles that all have one thing in common: groove. Raucous, joyous grooves have pervaded the band’s work since their 2003 self-titled debut, with songs like the horn-blasted, hip-hop-indebted “Hello” proving an apt introduction to what would follow. They offer up booming basslines on the title track of 2005’s head-nodding Two Shoes, and 2006’s “Cities” indulged their jazzy side. Their highest-charting single—the rousing pop song “No Longer There”—came in 2007 on So Many Nights, and 2009 brought Live on Earth, a blistering document of the band’s performing prowess with horn jam riots like “How to Explain?” The Cat Empire have never stopped exploring the boundaries of groove, dipping into reggae (2013’s “Still Young”), booming rock (2016’s “Feeling’s Gone”), and pulsing, atmospheric pop (2016’s “Qué Será Ahora”).