Review: It’s Sorted by Cheekface released independently
Hello and welcome to Claudia’s kitchen, I am drafting this review while making dinner.
Having previously only known Cheekface through reputation I can safely say It’s Sorted is a tight record. I don’t mean tight in the lame-cool guy way a song here would say, I mean I can tell this trio of artists who love making things together, they put a lot of their artistry and, from what I think I hear, all of their voices as well. I am infatuated with the backing vocals on this album. From the wee-oos and the warning; “This is private property!” on “Popular 2” to the “left-right-left-right” instruction on “I Am Continuing to Do My Thing.” Also there’s guitar solos? Like a lot of them and they’re all rad as Hell! When’s the last time you genuinely liked a guitar solo?
The backing vocals aren’t the only thing of note in terms of singing. I never really know how to approach this style of deadpan lead vocals because I can never tell if it's genuine, if it’s trying to sell a bit or if it’s just emo. On this record, for this band, it feels essential, it makes a track like “The Fringe” hit even harder. The title of “America’s local band” makes a lot of sense when you can admit blowing up is overrated, you can just be attached to the heart and soul of it all. I think lyrically as well almost every song makes its point in a fun way. Sometimes it sounds a little generated like the non-sequiturs in “Grad School,” but also sometimes you get a track like “Trophy Hunting at the Zoo.” Or something where the sequencing of one song subject to the next is incredibly clever like track one to track two.
It’s all very humorous but there is a lot of real and lived experience, the most realistic being “There Were Changes in the Hardcore Scene.” Inclusivity is stated as a given in hardcore and underground genres, I would even say in DIY it’s real and felt. But it’s also gatekept, maybe in a way it couldn’t have in past generations. When I say real I mean real, all the quips about being famous and the DIY discourse commentary, you can tell this band has been around. I would say the only track I don’t totally connect with is “Don’t Stop Believing,” as I feel a ballad break was more expected and implied as opposed to believable.
There’s not a lot of variety, but there is character and heart. These three care about music, community and each other. They took that passion and translated it into a pretty great record. I think anyone who can deserves praise.
Our score of It's Sorted is 8/10.
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