EP Review
Cheatahs - Sunne EP
4 StarsThis is a band capable of immense beauty.
A band capable of disarming versatility, Cheatahs’ ‘Sunne EP’ comes more as a kiss than a punch. Starting with ‘Sunne’, the London-via-the-world shoegazers launch into something that takes nods to Big Troubles as much as it does s/t era My Bloody Valentine, with a subversive chord pattern led by a tremolo heavy lead, merging into a serene verse, sung almost in a whisper by Nathan Hewitt. There are other reference points; fans of Yo La Tengo will enjoy this EP sonically and structurally. Yet, despite all of these comparisons, Cheatahs have harnessed their own sound. ‘Campus’ is stormy and cloaked in reverb, ride cymbals tapping like torrential rain on single glazing, yet the beauty comes from Hewitt’s voice. It’s almost defiantly calm and breezy against the tidal waves of guitar effects.
‘Controller’ punches in with a drumbeat indebted to jazz, a woozy, cloudy pop song that Tame Impala would kill for. Three and a half minute songs shouldn’t have this many ideas and yet sound so cohesive. This is a band capable of immense beauty, who are also able to fit in a bizarro industrial sounding middle-eight, complete with reverse cymbals, before returning to the chorus-dripping lead guitar parts that dominate the record. Before there’s a chance to exhale, ‘No Drones’ pounds, snares battered behind ‘Goo’-esque melodies, breathless and immediate. At only four tracks in length, Cheatahs’ contemporaries will struggle to compete with a record twice as long.
Read More
Cheatahs get shaky with their favourite James Bond themes
After recording some of their album next door to MI5 itself, the multi-national mob have shared their favourite of their new neighbour's various themes.
14th January 2016, 12:00am
Cheatahs announce London show and European tour
The ‘Mythologies’ shapeshifters are heading home for an XOYO show in support of new single 'Freak Waves'.
1st December 2015, 12:00am
Cheatahs change their spots: “It’s like throwing paint at a canvas and then scraping a lot of stuff back.”
In the new issue of DIY (out Friday 6th November), Cheatahs invite DIY to their South London studio to talk reinvention.
4th November 2015, 12:00am
Cheatahs – Mythologies
4 Stars
A collection of tracks that houses some of their strongest moments to date.
30th October 2015, 10:00am
With Bob Vylan, St Vincent, girl in red, Lizzy McAlpine and more.