Pom Poko
Cheater
Release Date: Jan 15, 2021
Genre(s): Pop/Rock, Alternative/Indie Rock, Indie Rock, New Wave/Post-Punk Revival, Noise Pop, Left-Field Pop
Record label: Bella Union
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Album Review: Cheater by Pom Poko
Great, Based on 4 Critics
Based on rating 8/10
After charming fans of freewheeling indie pop with their debut Birthday, Pom Poko get even more rambunctious and ambitious on Cheater. Though the COVID-19 global pandemic prevented the band from road-testing these songs the way their constant gigging let them refine their debut, their second album still reflects their growing experience. Pom Poko sound looser and more cohesive on these spiky fluorescent outbursts, and the way they turn the bits and pieces other bands wouldn't think of putting together into swift, dazzling collages is truly impressive.
Based on rating 7.5/10
Over the course of 33 minutes, Pom Poko capture the feeling of adorable debauchery. Though their second album, Cheater, may sound unserious at first, angst and snark bubble up through cutting riffs and heart-shaped chaos. For a band named after a Studio Ghibli film about a pack of malicious but fun-loving mythical pot-bellied raccoon-dogs who also use their testicles to shape-shift, this energy makes a good deal of sense.
Based on rating 3.5/5
The name of this band is POM POKO! The band you should listen to today is called Pom Poko. Their name is fun in a loud and endearingly obnoxious way, and so too is their music. Say that name! Don't spit or splutter it ((pompoko) iya), say it with your belly: 3-2-1- Pommm Pokoh! That's it! Gets better every time. Pom Poko play noise pop, which means that their sound is skronked out and amicably abrasive like Deerhoof or (I guess) Pixies, but at the same time it's built around streamlined writing and kooky hooks a' la Superorganism or Kero Kero Bonito.
Based on rating 7/10
Cheater is the second album to arrive from the Norwegian group - after their 2019 debut Birthday - which is just as sure to boost your mood as it is to compound your senses. Having established a reputation to date for music which is essentially a glorious mix of frantic and fun, the band have taken that to extremes on Cheater. Pom Poko are one of those acts that are a joy to witness live: lead singer Ragnhild Fangel is unstoppable on stage, with Martin Miguel Tonne (guitar), Jonas Krøvel (bass) and Ola Djupvik (drums) all combining to produce the sonic equivalent of a firework display that someone accidentally set off all at once.
'Cheater'
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