Weekly Review: Cheekface – Middle Spoon
hey yall! this week, we’re checking out a recent release from America’s local band, Cheekface – it’s Middle Spoon
okay ive mentioned a few times before a review when im setting aside objectivity. nobody comes to this blog of objectivity, reviews are inherently subjective, and id have a hard time doing that even if i wanted to, but cards on the table, i really like Cheekface a lot. ive seen them in 3 different cities on different tours, and have plans to see them in a fourth this year. a Cheekface show has been a part of my anniversary plans with my spouse for sevetal years now. im a bit biased going into this one.
even with that bias, the singles leading in didnt land me immediately – both Flies and Growth Sux are really, really good songs, but as singles i wasnt hooked on the spot – part of that is that both tracks are a bit of a stylistic shift and a tad odd lyrically. however, i really love both songs in context on the record (for example i like how Flies transitions out of Living Lo-Fi more than i like the intro for Flies in a vacuum), and there’s a lot more here to love.
obvious, the ska on this record is a huge highlight. there have been jokes among Cheekface fans asking if the band was ska (the answer has always been “yes”, from the band), but they really leaned into it here. Rude World is a slower track that leans heavy on the syncopated guitars and reggae/ska rhythm, and Don’t Dream literally “pick it up”s. absolutely delightful fusion of their sound with ska influences, and i especially appreciate the guests on the tracks helping show this isnt just a joke – Catbite vocalists Brittany Luna and Tim Hildebrand guest on Rude World, and Jer of JER, Skatune Network, and We Are the Union plays the absolutely killer solo in Don’t Dream. they even got Jeff Rosenstock playing bari sax on Flies!
Cheekface, as always, brings incredibly fun and witty lyricism here – there are silly, quippy, and quoteable lines to match the fantasticly catchy melodies. i might have to start snipping favorite lines on these reviews, tbh. there’s something really fun about “Now nature is dusty and rumors are true / And we love dust because it is so cool / So of course we can’t wait to be it / (Dust I mean, not cool)” from Flies, which has lodged itself firmly in my brain. Living Lo-Fi is a phenomenal leading track and is packed to the brim of that kinda fun lyricism. plus like, its fun tracking the references to “the dream” and the namedrops for the album throughout.
Cheekface also continues to use relationship to media as metaphor for other types of relationships on this record – Art House is an absolutely top-notch track comparing a partner to an indie, art house, or foreign film, an acquired taste, but fitting for someone dedicated to living on The Fringe, and Content Baby makes a bunch of tongue-in-cheek(face) comparisons to the speaker’s relationship and online content. I Know What’s Gonna Happen leans into the same themes of Growth Sux but uses reruns of TV shows to express a desire for comfort and reliability. the closer Hard Mode, easily one of my top top tracks here, complements that by requesting that if growth happens, it happens the easy way.
not everything was love at first sight here. The Wind Is Gone took some warming up to – the strange vibes of the song are fun an interesting but the dial tone used as a metronome was grating at first, but it definitely fades into the mix pretty well, and the core melody of the track is pretty fun. im still just aight on Military Gum, which features a really good guest verse fron McKinley Dixon. not a dislike at all but not one of my faves.
and like, i like that type of experimentation! and it shows the type of sounds theyre exploring, and as much as i like this albuk lyrically i dont want to sell it short instrumentally – huge fan of the swings they took here. Content Baby’s strutting guitars and the way the piano crashes in on the chorus, the fun changeup they do with the reprise of Living Lo-Fi, the SKA?! big fan.
on the whole, another mastapiece from Cheekface. cant wait for more.
faves – Living Lo-Fi, Flies, Rude World, Art House, Growth Sux, Don’t Dream, I Know What’s Gonna Happen, Content Baby, Hard Mode
dislikes –
Middle Spoon – 9/10
support the band by checking out the release on Bandcamp
the reccomendation queue is back to empty, but im gonna be reviewing Lady Gaga’s Mayhem new week – in the meantime, please let me know what album you’d like me to review below!
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