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Cheer-Accident — Admission
(Skin Graft SG164, 2025, CD / DL)

by Jon Davis, Published 2025-07-08

Admission Cover art

2024’s Vacate showed Cheer-Accident clearing out their backlog of songs inspired by classic pop (think Burt Bacharach and Herb Alpert), and with Admission they’re going about the task of blending that influence with their established brand of avant-prog. The result is a quite enjoyable album of seven catchy tunes that straddle two worlds, or more accurately blend two worlds into one — or maybe demonstrate that our idea that these are different worlds is in fact mistaken. Certainly Cheer-Accident of delving into concise melodic songs as well as longer, more abrasive ones, and this isn’t the first time they’ve devoted an album to the more accessible side of their sound. This is one more step in the long and unpredictable story of one of the most consistently inventive American bands of the last 40 years. “My Love” kicks off the set, a tuneful track based around tasty piano chords and a catchy melody. “Cold Comfort” follows that with a more guitar-driven track that touches on 70s rock with aspects of psychedelia and 80s New Wave. With a steady beat and a constantly evolving arrangement, the song justifies its length of over seven minutes, devolving into interlocking rhythmic patterns on brass and vocals at the end. “Weird Organ” and “Redwood Creek” add in elements from 80s synth-pop and feature lead vocals from Angie Mead. The remaining tracks revisit these styles in varying combinations and degrees. Is this the best of Cheer-Accident’s 20+ albums? I don’t know… but it’s a darn good album, and has some tunes that rank among their best.

Filed under: New releases, 2025 releases

Related artist(s): Cheer-Accident

More info
http://skingraftrecords.bandcamp.com/album/admission

 

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