Dan Hillier
In just a few short years the Derry pop punk rock trio have found themselves as one of the most burgeoning names within the Irish scene, having won pundits all the way from Frank Turner, Fangclub and even And So I Watch You From Afar in just a few short years. Certainly not bad going whatsoever for a band that at the time only had a handful of tracks to their namesake. However, the group’s new extended play and mission statement – Hey Tori – truly shows that Cherym are fully in-deserving of all the praise and acclaim they are being showered with.
Quintessentially, Hey Tori is the full encapsulation of what this genre should sound like. Telling classic tales of both loss and success in the game of love, it’s zingy, confrontational and haplessly, irrefutably infectious. ‘Listening To My Head’ instantly establishes this and the preppy energy that animates the record and binds it as a whole. With a touch of classic pop-punk lilt reminiscent of the halcyon juggernauts of the genre, the track is a full shockwave of authentic and giddy enthusiasm that’s simply levitating. The follow up ‘Kisses On My Cards’, a track comprised of a barrage of hooks and pulls, continues this in a way that’s somewhat snowballing. It’s the kind of pop punk that’s simply and inarguably enjoyable; the kind that totally distanced from the stale shovelware of the genre, puts a prep in your step and pulls you – willingly or not – into a golden mood.
Whilst the record as a whole is dose of high concreted, sugar fuelled energy and vitality, it’s far from being uncontrolled and isn’t sweet to the point of being overindulgent. There’s a definite sense of the kind of energy that permeates the work of PUP running through the record, with Cherym channeling such energy through countless vocal hooks, gangs-all-here harmonies and grit coated instrumentalism. In similar nature of the aforementioned PUP, the band successfully navigate some dark topics without ever lowering the mood or dialling back on the energy. ‘Gone Girl’, complete with a massive chorus reminiscent of Riot era Paramore, explores the nature of abusive relationships in a way that’s contrastively vibrant and danceable. It’s a highly poignant and fantastic contrast, one that shows that Cherym are more than just a band dealing in non-stop good fun.
Hey Tori doesn’t essentially recreate the wheel or anything of the like, especially with their clear inspirations of Bikini Kill showing in their bass work and on the delightful ‘She’s A Lot Going On’, but it really don’t need to nor does it aim to. Instead, this EP brilliantly showcases why and how Cherym have become such a dotted and beloved band in such short time. Like a strawberry chumpa chump one’s accidentally dropped, this is sugary sweetness in it’s most irresistible form, and overall, it’s a clear and vibrant indicator that Cherym have something incredibly special going on.