Cheatahs
10 February 2014
4 stars out of 5
Take one part Swervedriver, one part Dinosaur Jr., and three
parts My Bloody Valentine, add lemon and cinnamon, shake well, and you have Cheatahs, the eponymous debut by Canadian-born , UK
“Geographic” has moments which seem like Swervedriver circa Raise and others which seem like
Dinosaur before they added the “Jr.”—a template for many of the songs to follow
on the LP. It’s urgent rock and roll infused with the vocal textures of Kevin
Shields and the guitar tones and techniques of… well, Kevin Shields. Hewitt
makes no attempt to hide his influences here. “Mission Creep” adds the pretty
factor to the shoegaze mix, while “Get Tight” brings a bit more of the grunge.
“Leave to Remain” seems to be the bridge between Loveless and Goo, an
incredibly catchy rocker with many different beautiful textures of distortion
to keep you occupied. “Kenworth” goes from rock song to drone piece over the
space of six minutes, tailing out beautifully into “Fall,” another MBV-inspired
song which stands well enough on its own to be enjoyable without knowledge of
its influences (if such a state of ignorance were possible in a world where Loveless is ranked among such works of
art as Revolver and London Calling). The closing track “Loon
Calls” even lifts a riff straight out of MBV’s “What You Want.”
What makes Cheatahs
stand out from the recent slew of shoegaze revival attempts is the energy and
urgency which flows out of each song. There are no moments where it feels like
the band is just going through the motions. Tracks like “The Swan” and “IV”
offer no chances for boredom, either for your ears or for your feet. Sure it’s
nostalgic, but it’s an earnest embracing of the past rather than the
all-too-typical cynical revivalist bands which clog much of the “underground”
today.
reviewed by Richard Krueger
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