Hailing from the seaside town of Weston-Super-Mare, UK band Cheekbone pack a fresh blend of modern pop hooks with the character and energy of the 60s rock that first inspired them. Made up of Ernest Gorka, Lou Raymond, Stell Kousiounis and Nick Joules, the band divides their time between their hometown and London with their debut EP “Show Me Something” playing like a collection of postcards.
Stylishly merging distorted guitar riffs and captivating vocals, Cheekbone bursts onto the scene with character and power. “Deflect” is not only creatively refreshing and musically hard-hitting, but it’s also been written in a fascinating and skillful manner. The songwriting makes for something that easily satisfies. The structure, the build-up, the contrast between the verses and the hook all adds impact and makes certain you remember it. On top of everything, Cheekbone presents an unquestionable level of energy through their music. The stage is theirs entirely as they perform and craft the soundscape around you. “Deflect” is a full-feeling ambiance, loaded with detail and power, yet Cheekbone always seems clearly united as a band. All in all, it’s the details that make “Deflect” a hit. Every element has been thoughtfully and professionally incorporated, and you can tell that a live performance would be intense and brilliant. A band well worth stumbling upon.
Listen to “Deflect” here and read more with Cheekbone below!
Hey Cheekbone! Welcome to BuzzMusic. How did Cheekbone originally come to fruition?
Ernest: We met through a strong passion for music and were all into the same thing but were kind of competing with each other in different local bands, then me and Lou started writing songs together in my garage and putting them online. It started to turn a few heads and we knew we had something to take seriously, we brought Stell in a month later and Nick the drummer and Keenan the bass player 2 months after.
Nick: I’ve always wanted to play the drums in a band, I’d seen snippets and demos of Cheekbone songs on Instagram and I really wanted to be a part of it because the songs sounded amazing, so I started drumming again and eventually got asked to play for a live session and now here we are.
What’s the overall concept of your new EP “Show Me Something”?
Lou: All the songs are about that person that inspires totally conflicting emotions within you. You don’t know if you want to pull all their hair out or run them a hot bath and shampoo them.
Nick: I think every song is completely different to the others and it shows the variety of genres and styles we are exploring as a band
Lou: Yeah we wanted each track to have it’s own unique sound. A track like Boat Song, very intentionally, sounds like two different songs stitched together. I like the idea of a record taking such a left turn the listener gets a nose bleed.
Tell us about your single “Deflect”, what do you hope your listeners take away from it?
Lou: The obvious antecedent to Deflect is The Strokes. We were very consciously trying to evoke their sound on the track, or at least use them as a diving board. To the extent that I hung up a picture of Julian Casablancas on the wall of our studio when recording. Lyrically the song’s about self imposed isolation, I need to be alone, daydreaming, to ever have a half decent idea, you have to become a sort of pariah figure. After it was finished we spent the rest of the EP trying to move as far away from The Strokes as possible.
What do you aspire to bring to the current indie-rock scene?
Nick: We’ve all been in different bands previously and things haven't worked out for whatever reasons, but this feels right and we’ve all come together at the right time. I think we’ve got some great songs recorded and even better ones on the way and I honestly think once we get ourselves gigging regular and on the festival circuit we will be hard to ignore.
Ernest: We want to bring a complete freshness to the rock scene. To take something that is familiar to a lot of people but with a breath of fresh air. We’re influenced by the greats, The Velvet Underground, Elton John, nice mellow pianos underneath a raw vocal. We want to bring back the groove of the Stone Roses but with a fast tempo and pure energy. We know we have the songs that will get people jumping up and down but also the melodies that will be in people’s heads for months.
What’s next for Cheekbone? Do you have any upcoming events or shows?
Stell: In my opinion; what separates the ‘boys’ from the ‘men’ with bands is whether they can pull it off live. Any average Joe can record a tune these days, but nailing it live and having people go mad for it is what it’s all about for us. Next stop: EP #2, gigs all around the UK and hit the festival circuit next year.
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