Cheerleader Shows Us Their Spirit Fingers [free Mp3]

Cheerleader’s music couldn’t have made its way to my ears at a better time. Their sunny, carefree songs of carefully calculated chaos are enough to bring anyone out of the gloomy, post-holiday  dumps. “New Daze” sounds as though it came straight out of a romantic comedy montage, and I mean that in the best way possible — like Mean Girls romcom, not Maid in Manhattan. The shimmery, opening guitars are a perfect introduction to the bass and drum driven groove that infectiously permeates the track. Meanwhile, the relentless shakers and handclaps dare you not to bob your head. There’s something distinctly 90′s about both “New Daze” and “Dreamer”, perhaps it’s the upbeat positivity or the reverby guitar and vocals, but the tracks are quickly brought into the 21st century with synth hooks reminiscent of bands like Passion Pit or MGMT.

It’s hard not to get lost in tracks like “Dreamer”. The song begins simply enough, with melodic vocal lines breezily accented by guitar, but quickly builds and develops into a fully realized arrangement with wafting background vocals and intricately woven guitar loops and bass lines. The simplicity of the song itself is complimented by the expanding instrumentation that comes to a head in the sing-along-worthy chorus – a jaunty, bass-driven twenty seconds that showcases Cheerleader’s knack for writing understated, yet powerful hooks.

Despite the band’s Hartford origins, Cheerleader has a distinct west coast, LA sound — a lo-fi, electro pop concoction that makes it easy to imagine driving with the top down. The two tracks create a seven minute and fifteen second oasis of fun in the sun, and a much-needed respite from wintry drear.