EP: Cheatahs ‘Sunne’

Rating:

Cheatahs are an alternative band from London that take a large chunk of the good stuff from the shoegaze genre, give it a futuristic twist and add a hint of garage rock to achieve their ethereal sound. The release of the Sunne EP further demonstrates this with four tracks that manage to be blisteringly loud but dreamy at the same time.

Title track and opener ‘Sunne’ is a woozy track filled with fuzzy guitars bending in and out across the sonic landscape, the airy vocals from frontman Nathan Hewitt add to the dream-like atmosphere of this one.

‘Campus’ takes a bit longer to get going, not really offering too much until around the 1:40 mark when the song unravels into a hazier space where sweet harmonies are aplenty. Towards the end, the vocals are essentially used as a replacement for a synth and it works incredibly well.

The penultimate track ‘Controller’ is my highlight of the EP with bubbling synths, reverb-drenched vocals, shuffling drums and whirring guitar riffs being the order of the day here. The seemingly effortless transition from blissful to edgy in the middle eight showcases the band at their very best.

Closer ‘No Drones’ is a track that goes at breakneck speed, standing in at just over two minutes long. With the spiralling loud guitars, simplistic chorus and crashing drums, you can imagine that this song is one that would go down rather well live.

The EP overall is a good showcase of how Cheatahs are developing as a band after the release of their debut, they may still be finding their feet a little bit but you can sense that this band can really go somewhere with their sound.

Sunne is released on 23rd February via Wichita Recordings Ltd.

Junior Cobbinah