Confessions of a Spotify Vandal
A folk-pop mischief-maker who goes by Catbreath has collected hundreds of thousands of streams by giving his songs prankish titles like “Chill Music,” “Gym Bangers,” and “My Discover Weekly.”
“You’re a pathetic little bitch,” opens a recent email sent to the songwriter and self-described “sonic graffiti” artist who calls himself Catbreath?. (Yes, the question mark is part of his official pseudonym.) His songs—or, more precisely, song titles—tend to piss people off, which is why he prefers to keep his real identity a mystery. The message, just one of many he keeps in a folder on his phone devoted to hate mail, reads in full:
You’re a pathetic little bitch for manipulating Spotify to play your shitty music when you try to play/shuffle liked songs etc with Google Home. Maybe try making music that’s actually good, and people will want to listen to it. What you’re doing is sad as fuck. Did I mention that your music is bad? Fucking loser.
Sincerely,
Seamus McFuckyourself
Mr. McFuckyourself, presumably, had just heard one of Catbreath’s biggest hits: “My Liked Songs,” which has clocked more than 375,000 plays on Spotify. Others have been duped by “Cozy Fall Playlist” or “True Crime Podcast,” his two most popular tunes on Apple Music. Still others encounter him via “Beatles Greatest Hits,” “Gym Bangers,” or “Short Sad Songs.” The vast Catbreath catalog is filled with song titles designed to trip up voice-command algorithms when their owners request to hear something else. As in, “Alexa, play… that last song again.” (“That Last Song Again” is featured on Catbreath’s 2023 album Tear Up?.)
