Stuffed with guitar histrionics, Cheatahs do fall prey to hero-worship, but they nevertheless deliver an album worthy of its influences.
With the guitars front and center, and frequently overpowering the vocals, Cheatahs almost feels like a response to the apparent decline of guitar rock as the dominant sound in alternative and mainstream music. But it doesn’t feel reactionary, either. The songs come from a place of enthusiasm, not vindictiveness.
There’s no question, then, that this record’s a throwback, but it’s hard to complain when a band manages to pack so many different influential touchpoints into one album
Vast, clamorous, and curiously beautiful, Cheatahs recalls a time and place that isn't necessarily 2014, but does so with such skill and élan you'd be a fool not to meander through time and space with these sounds.
Cheatahs’ debut neatly avoids the old shoegazing pitfall of drowning weak melodies in oceans of shimmer, coming on as hazy but hook-strong as early Teenage Fanclub.
Cheatahs have certainly delivered on the promise suggested by their stellar early EP’s, taking their sound in a spirited, well-worn direction that more than suits them.
It feels like a celebration, rather than an appropriation, and it’s one that should win over anybody who looks back fondly on the days of universal flannel shirts and ubiquitous Fender Jaguars, whether they were actually alive at the time or not.
It's never boring, the dynamism of the tracks means they all have a sense of motion. It's just, after a while, there doesn't seem to be a destination in mind.
Just remembered this album, and holy brickwalls, Batman! it is quite possibly the most over-compressed album I've ever fucking heard.
Put the song files in a DAW and you'll see that the volume is constantly pushing into the red - Mission Creep is clearly the least intense song on here performance-wise, but even that one is BLARING all the way to the fadeout!
There are some surprisingly strong songs on here, even when the band isn't really breaking any new ground, but I'd probably appreciate it ... read more
Cheatahs is a band that lacks maturity in their execution. I feel like their self titled and debut album is lacking consistency. The vocals don't really deliver and the instrumentals, the best part here, are not as good as other stuff I've heard. Thou, I appreciate that fact that they have influences from different genres. IV is my favorite track here. Kenworth's drone at the end of the song it's gorgeous. Enjoyable album, but not much more than that.
Live was when I first found Cheatas, opening for FIDLAR who opened for Wavves. Needless to say, one of the best shows to see.
1 | I 0:43 | |
2 | Geographic 3:31 | |
3 | Northern Exposure 2:55 | |
4 | Mission Creep 4:58 | |
5 | Get Tight 3:26 | |
6 | The Swan 4:24 | |
7 | IV 5:13 | |
8 | Leave To Remain 2:57 | |
9 | Kenworth 6:05 | |
10 | Fall 3:25 | |
11 | Cut The Grass 4:11 | |
12 | Loon Calls 4:19 |
#100 | / | Under the Radar |