Cherry Glazerr

One Liner:  Grungy pop rock named after an NPR reporter

Wikipedia Genre: Noise pop, garage rock, indie rock, grunge
Home: LA

Poster Position: 14

Both Weekends

Thoughts: Solid rock and roll with a grungy tilt.  The band apparently got its name from an NPR reporter named Chery Glaser, who sat down with the band for an interview several years ago, when it looks like everyone in this band was 12 years old.  Ah, good, Glaser was a local host in the southern California area - I was about to have my public radio nerd card revoked for not remembering her.  As of that 2014 interview, the band members were still in high school, but were headed to play the 2014 SXSW festival.  Which is pretty rad.

Also of note, the lead singer/founder of the band, Clementine Creevy, originally released music under the name Clembutt.  Which is a great name and she should have held on to it.  She was 15 years old at the time.  Which is wild.  She put them up on Soundcloud and was discovered.  Also, her last name makes me think of that movie Man on Fire where Denzel's character is named Greesy or Creevy or something like that, and the little blond girl yells his name as she is kidnapped (or something, been a while since I've seen that movie).

Four albums, and at least for my money, the second two albums are pretty awesome, while the initial two are not great.  2014's Haxel Princess and 2013's Papa Cremp (which might actually have been a compilation of the Clembutt songs, not a true Cherry Glazerr album) are more raw, DIY, messy (and not in a good way).  Just so you can get a taste, here is the most popular track from that album Haxel Princess, "Teenage Girl," with 3.1 million streams.

Feels like it was made in a garage by a couple of high school kids, I guess.  Which is nothing but the truth.  But if that were their only music, I'd pass right on over this band without a second thought.  I've gone through all three albums on Spotify about 5 times by now, and I barely notice the transition between the two most recent albums, but the transition to this 2014 album is jarringly obvious.

Although, that being said, their most streamed tune is one from 2014, a single called "Had Ten Dollaz," that sounds like a garage band version of Sleater-Kinney.  Just over 7 million streams.

Yeah, that is fine - but I'm telling you, they get better in the more recent stuff.  That song, accoridng to Wikipedia, was apparently created for the creative director of Yves Saint Laurent to go with his fall 2014 women's show, so maybe they just played it a couple million times at that show?

The newer two albums are poppier, cleaner, better produced albums of peppy rock.  And I'm here for it.  I saw that this band was opening for Chvrches, and that made me interested in them.  I had to sell my Chvrches tickets and missed the show, but would have liked to see these guys as the appetizer.

Strangely, the 2017 album, Apocalipstick, seems to have less streams than the 2014 album - I'm surprised by that.  But it is some well-honed rock jams.  "Moon Dust" is the one that keeps making me stop what I'm doing to check the song title.  I was gonna show you the much more popular "Nurse Ratched," with just over 2 million streams, but the video is honestly disturbing shit with stabbing murder and stuff, so I'll do "Told You I'd Be With the Guys" (3.9 million streams) instead.

Bring me the riffage.  But that video is freaking weird - all the dudes in red shirts fill up the house where they are jamming?  And you get to very prominently see two things from the lead singer: (1) unshaved armpits; and (2) her left boob (see 0:55).  Which, whatever dude, you do you, man.  But I dig the song.

Here's an in-studio performance from about this time, along with a very awkward interview, if you want to check it out:

And I don't know if she is just trying to be freaky or something, but her voice isn't nearly as strong there as it is on the album tracks.  And that last song really sucks.

The new 2019 album though, that is where it all comes together.  The bass playing is significantly better, the guitar is raucous.  "Ohio" is the album opener and it is a rock jam.  The chorus guitar in "Stupid Fish," all grungy fuzz power chords is the blood I breathe.  Each time that track comes back on, I look up from my work and give an appreciative nod to the cosmos.  "Wasted Nun" sounds like a new Breeders track.  The one that bugs me is "Daddi," although I think it is supposed to bug me.  She's singing all of these submissive questions, asking her "daddy" what she should do (including but not limited to asking "who should I fuck, daddy. Is it you?") before she starts sing/chanting that she smokes so that she tastes like metal, to keep daddy away.  And now I really don't like that song - even if it is tongue in cheek or sarcasm or whatever, I don't like the imagery it brings to mind.  Thank God for "Juicy Socks," at just over 1 million streams, so that "Daddi" isn't winning the streams contest.

They apparently have a thing for creepy videos!  But the guitar work is definitely on point now in these songs.  Going from that nice little fingered melody to the raw riffage of the chorus is the goods.  And her voice has gotten stronger as well, more self-assured and able to go both tender and full.

Also of note, Creevy appeared in the Amazon show Transparent, as the lead singer of a band called Glitterish.  Which is both a horrible and great band name all at the same time.  Never seen the show.

One constant of the band appears to be the coming and goings of the members.  Creevy is the only constant, with a different vocalist, drummer, bassist, and synth player leaving the band through the years since 2014, and a new drummer and bassist in place today.  Which of course may explain the change in sound over time, or it may just come from Creevy growing up and modifying what she wants the band to be.

I dig it - I'd go see what it looks like in person.