#2 ynfynyty

[gotankgo]

CHERUBS “Sandy on the Beach”

• 2 Ynfynyty (2015)

[stairmaster5000]

Yo! Cherubs 2 ynfynyty came in today! OHHHHHHHH So stoked!

So, one time in a bar, a very loud bar, I heard the drum/bass section of Cumulo Nimbus. I don’t know how I was able to pick it out. But I ended up shazamming the song, found the band/album, and woah! What a trip. The history of this/band album actually was more layered and influential than I anticipated. I suggested ya’ll check it out, if you can.

[stairmaster5000]

This is a perfect way to end your day.

[boaws]

Cherubs – 2 Ynfynyty (Brutal Panda)

Often Austin, TX's Cherubs are looked at as the gold standard of noise-rock, with their 1994 album Heroin Man being the high water mark of their somewhat brief run in the 90's. Their importance to the genre has slowly grown in recognition over the years, especially as the internet has opened up various new avenues for a younger generation to run across the mess that they strew about roughly two decades ago. Their importance to me? Well, I'm in that boat of holding them in high regard and with that I was kind of surprised to see the band return to action over the last year or so...a new album didn't really seem like a reality at the time, but here we are with 2 Ynfynyty. Cherubs gave a sneak peak of the album in early February with the track “Sandy on the Beach” and lo and behold it sounded like the same band that had likely done unmeasurable aural damage to concert goers and home listeners all those years ago. A wise move, quelling those initial fears that crop up with every reunion album. My anxiety level should be through the roof at this point, considering the amount of these I have to both dread and look forward to every single year, and that number only continues to rise. Anyway, 2 Ynfynyty reminds me a lot of when Polvo made their return with In Prism, in that it captures a band that not only doesn't miss a single beat...but also pushes forward too, unwilling to fall completely back on a formula that undoubtedly worked before and to have the stones to take some chances. Would I have complained if the band had went out and made Heroin Man 2.0? Probably not, but at the same time what they've given listeners with 2 Ynfynyty is certainly worth more than what that would have been. A track like “Monkey Chow Mein” is something I wouldn't have thought for a second to grace an album by the Cherubs, digging deep into a solid riff and getting rather desert rock-ish...yet coating it with the familiar grime that has defined the band for their entire existence. There is certainly a heavier psych slant taking place on 2 Ynfynyty that shows up on tracks like “Cumulo Nimbus” and “Party Ice” that brings a warbled type of buzzing that lingers in the background while the band goes to work doing what they do best. One of the biggest concerns that I actually had about the Cherubs releasing a new album was would they suffer the same fate as other “noise-rock” bands and lean on a production value that in no way complements the ugliness of the music. While the near lo-fidelity nature of Heroin Man isn't readily apparent on 2 Ynfynyty the band has used the tools at hand to fill every inch of space they could with some type of feedback, whether it be swirling in the background or just flat out pummeling upfront. No matter the case, the band sound larger than they ever have here, especially the beefed up bass, and have found a nice middle ground between the loud needle pushing noise and some type of clarity...if we can even call it that, but this is certainly the nicest sounding Cherubs album we're likely ever to hear. Multiple listens through 2 Ynfynyty have left me wondering where it will stand amongst the bands discography years from now. How long will it take before it's thrown into some type of thunderdome for “best album”, etc? I know, as of this moment, that it's given me far more to think about than I ever expected when the album was announced and the level of engagement that I felt when first hearing Heroin Man is nearly matched. Impressive fellas, welcome back. Cherubs - Unhappyable (stream) BUY IT!