May 31, 2013 By Laura Studarus

It’s Gary Barber’s birthday, but he’s not in a rush to leave his London area flat to celebrate. During our Skype session the Is Tropical member, one of two guitarist/keyboardist/singers, pauses from answering a question about his band’s most recent album to hold his cat Oven Mitt up to the camera for examination. Unperturbed, the oversized feline stretches, showing off an abnormal extra toe that makes her paw look like a human hand.