Cheekface surprise release their fifth album ‘Middle Spoon’ and it again finds vocalist/guitarist Greg Katz, bassist/vocalist Amanda Tannen and drummer Mark ‘Echo’ Edwards offering hilarious and important observations on every aspect of modern life – ‘Brother, did you know Tame Impala is just one guy?’ – over sugar-sweet power-pop hooks
‘Living Lo Fi’ kicks off the record with stabbed piano notes (think early Ben Kweller) and understandably lo-fi harmonies as Greg muses on how cigarettes can both kill you and make you live longer, before moving on to murders, the Old Testament and a question every listener will recognise: ‘Are you living with some chronic pain?’. ‘Flies’ follows with a woozy bass line and talk of nature falling apart before ‘Wind is Gone combines slacker stylings with absurdist humour: ‘Do you like making money? Do you like being weird?’.
McKinley Dixon provides a guest rap on ‘Military Gum’, 90 seconds of pure punk chaos with the mantra ‘Red, white, blue. I wanted you’. ‘Art House’ compares the subject of Greg’s affections to a viewing experience: ‘You’re an independent movie and you’re a little hard to follow’. It’s a lustful love story you can store neatly alongside Los Campesinos! or Michael Cera Palin. ‘Growth Sux’ has a call-and-response of the title and the word ‘YEAH’ as Greg takes aim at increasing responsibilities: ‘I’m getting kind of desperate’.
‘Don’t Dream’ has spiky yet danceable hooks at its core, think Phoenix jamming with The Replacements, while ‘I Know What’s Gonna Happen’ is a short and sharp song with sadness and grief at its core: ‘Not a lot of money, not a lot of fun’. ‘Content Baby’ might be the standout on a record full of them with its takedown of influencer culture being delivered against irresistible melodies: ‘Treat me your content, baby. I want to be your content’.
The penultimate song is a stripped-back reprise of the opener before ‘Hard Mode’ closes the album in biting and witty style, complete with distorted guitar solos: ‘Everyone is looking up to you. Did you enjoy the novelty and then move on?’; ‘A little friendly competition is health as long as I win’.
You’re going to want a healthy serving of ‘Middle Spoon’.
US tour (headlining, with support from Pacing):
4/3/2025 – San Diego, CA – The Casbah
4/4/2025 – Phoenix, AZ – Valley Bar
4/5/2025 – Albuquerque, NM – Launchpad
4/7/2025 – Oklahoma City, OK – Resonant Head
4/8/2025 – Dallas, TX – House of Blues Cambridge
4/9/2025 – Austin, TX – The Ballroom Inside
4/11/2025 – Houston, TX – White Oak Music Hall Up
4/12/2025 – New Orleans, LA – Chickie Wah Wah
4/14/2025 – Orlando, FL – The Social
4/15/2025 – Tampa, FL – Crowbar
4/16/2025 – Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade Purgatory
4/18/2025 – Nashville, TN – The Basement
4/19/2025 – Asheville, NC – Eulogy
4/20/2025 – Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle Back Room
4/21/2025 – Richmond, VA – Richmond Music Hall
4/23/2025 – Washington, DC – Black Cat
4/24/2025 – Philadelphia, PA – The Foundry
4/25/2025 – New York, NY – Elsewhere Hall
5/3/2025 – Boston, MA – The Sinclair
5/4/2025 – Burlington, VT – Higher Ground Showcase
5/6/2025 – Syracuse, NY – The Song & Dance
5/7/2025 – Toronto, ON – The Axis Club
5/9/2025 – Pittsburgh, PA – Bottlerocket
5/10/2025 – Columbus, OH – Rumba Cafe
5/11/2025 – Detroit, MI – El Club
5/13/2025 – Chicago, IL – Thalia Hall
5/14/2025 – Madison, WI – High Noon Saloon
5/15/2025 – Minneapolis, MN – Fine Line
5/17/2025 – St Louis. MO – Blueberry Hill Duck Room
5/19/2025 – Denver, CO – Bluebird Theater
5/21/2025 – Boise, ID – The Shredder
5/23/2025 – Seattle, WA – Neumos
5/24/2025 – Vancouver, BC – Wise Hall
5/25/2025 – Portland, OR – Hawthorne Theater
5/27/2025 – San Fransisco, CA – The Independent
5/29/2025 – Los Angeles, CA – The Regent
UK tour (co-headlining with Martha, support from Fresh):
11/7/25 – Brighton – Chalk
12/7/25 – Bristol – Strange Brew
13/7/25 – Birmingham – Hare & Hounds
14/7/25 – Leeds – Brudenell Social Club
15/7/25 – Glasgow – St. Lukes
17/7/25 – Newcastle – The Grove
18/7/25 – Norwich – Norwich Arts Centre
19/7/25 – Manchester – Academy 2
20/7/25 – London – Islington Assembly Hall
