by Kris Handel
It's Sorted is the fourth full length album from LA trio Cheekface, another building block of their unique approach to music with sing-speak vocals and melodies that refuse to leave your head. The writing tandem of Greg Katz and Amanda Tannen have mastered writing ear-worm after ear-worm, continuing to charm and surprise their audience with songs that poke and prod at the world around them with bite and wit. Cheekface’s willingness to explore some of their favorite genres has progressed with each release, but they maintain their own personality, which is no easy feat, yet increases the energy in so many ways. Katz, Tannen, and Mark "Echo" Edwards have begun to form a rock solid foundation of mixing and matching approaches that range from short blasts of punk noise to bright power-pop. The songs are full of well crafted wordsmithing as their approach has found a creative way to stay true to themselves while furthering their appeal.
"Popular 2" is a take on modern day surveillance in society, anxieties over the lack of privacy, and intrusion that has bred and encouraged. Katz constantly pokes and mocks the world around him and does so here with an aplomb that is hard to match, each verse tops itself in terms of entertainment. Tannen's chirping backing vocals add snappy accompaniment as the instrumentation bounces around, full of energy and enthusiasm. "Largest Muscle" really emphasizes how locked in everyone is, especially Katz and Tannen, proving once again that when their vocals collide the melodic roof catches on metaphorical fire. The song is a strong mix of some of the more successful Cheekface moments from previous efforts combined with the growth and expansion of sound that is so apparent on this record.
On tracks like "The Fringe" and "Life in a Bag," Cheekface lean fully into gloriously catchy and goofy rock that is reminiscent of bands like Presidents of the United States of America (the former) and Fountains of Wayne. On the former Katz shines between his speak-sing mannerism and pop-filled chanting with lines like "Opening night at my gallery show/A personal history of my runny nose/A towering achievement in aesthetic design/the critics don't like it/they are here for the wine" leading into the melody soaked chorus. Cheekface are at their playful heights on the track with what has become accustomed fun word-play, a powerhouse of steady drumming from Edwards, and even what amounts to a surprisingly epic guitar solo from Katz. The latter has a bit of Katz showing off his vocal flow for a brief yet glorious moment as guitars crunch around a whistling keyboard line that pops in and out. The overlapping guitar lines pierce the effervescent atmosphere and add a snappy punk edge that echos the pessimistic lyrics, belying the sweet surroundings.
Cheekface continue to crank out singles and albums, finding a way to keep everything fresh and an honest joy to listen to. As they’ve progressed over the past six or so years, their connection with each other has gained massive strength, their musical connection allows for them to feed off each other and lock in to their best assets as songwriters and performers which is readily apparent on It's Sorted. The band is never necessarily out to reinvent themselves, however they find a new approach every time out to throw all types of wrinkles into the mix so you never truly know what avenue may be explored on every release. Cheekface just keep upping the ante on every release as they start to reach levels that seem to have no end on a musical journey that is undeniably fun and invigorating to partake in.