by Eli Shively (@shivelyeli)
Perhaps the most underrated of the “indie musicians talented beyond their years” crowd is Cherry Glazerr’s Clementine Creevy. Criminally overlooked within the ever-expanding pack of Will Toledos and Alex Gs, 19-year-old Creevy makes a good case for critical darling status with Cherry Glazerr’s sophomore LP Apocalipstick. She begins by kicking her strikingly self-assured bedroom fuzz up a noticeable notch.
Indeed, Creevy’s confident and dynamic vocal performance is really what makes Apocalipstick stand out from the crowd. She effortlessly coasts from an airy, content falsetto into expressive post-punk yelps and wails, channeling influences like Kathleen Hanna and Blondie’s Debbie Harry in the process. The groovy, upbeat standout jam “Humble Pro” is a great example, as Creevy throws her voice all over the place with expert precision throughout the verses but snappily reaches for a calming high note to kick off the chorus.
Backing Creevy’s vocals is excellent and powerfully sharp instrumentation. Her polished, no-nonsense guitar work serves as a solid melodic base for each track, but it’s Sasami Ashworth’s synth that really steals the show — adding color throughout on the low end as well as a dreamy lead-in to “Only Kid On The Block” and some sugary buzzsaws on “Nuclear Bomb,” just to name a few. Drummer Tabor Allen pounds out every tempo and groove thrown at him with ease, maintaining an almost tangible sense of tightness that’s truly satisfying to hear coming from a band still fairly steeped in garage rock.
It’s pretty easy, then, to label Apocalipstick one of the most important releases of the year so far, and just about as easy to predict its longevity with that particular designation. The songs and style are definitely there for Cherry Glazerr (as they’ve always been), but it’s the strength of the performances by Creevy and co. that allow their second LP to reach new heights. It’ll be tough to forget this one as the months roll by.