Cheekface - Middle Spoon
https://cheekface.bandcamp.com/album/middle-spoon
Last year's album It's Sorted felt kind of like they had polished the whole Cheekface bit to a perfect point so it's not surprising that this one would be a ~transitional record~; it sounds like the members of the band have been through a lot in the last year (relatable!) and this album is being kind of press junketed as the result of that but I'm not sure that really pays off. I think it's cool that they collaborated with McKinley Dixon for "Military Gum" but I'm not sure the result is as good as a Cheekface track or a McKinley Dixon track. "Growth Sux" has a funny and possibly insightful point but to me it feels like they barely scratched the surface and I find it hard to say where their commonly-employed satirical voice ends on the topic, which sort of defeats the point of their whole schtick.
I do think there's something cool that's happening with Cheekface's particular blend of music and writing and comedy and politics and I want to see it continue and get better and smarter. There are individual moments on here that are catchy enough that I'm sure they will pop into my head unbidden for years to come ("Wind is Gone"'s refrain of "Dial 999-9999" has been on loop, maddeningly, for the past 48 hours), but... I dunno. I'm not seeing the depth that I know they are capable of.