Album review: Cheap Meat – People Are The Worst

Life has been largely on hold for the past year for a lot of people, but Cheap Meat have been a band on pause for longer than that. The trio received a lot of attention when they released their debut EP The Parts That Show, but that was back in 2016. In the intervening time one member has welcomed two kids and two members have been diagnosed with mental health issues. It’s hardly been an unstoppable snowballing of momentum, but with this first full-length they’re at least making a fabulous reboot.

They’ve also stolen a jump on prime influences Weezer. We’re still waiting for Van Weezer – the power-pop gods’ '80s rock tribute to Van Halen – but Cheap Meat have their own version here with Eddie & Valerie. ‘I wanna slow dance to power ballads’ sings frontman Ross Drummond, and he gets the chance on closer Love Song Reject. Clocking in at seven and a half minutes and chock-full of wailing solos, it’s like their own ironic take on November Rain. It even ends on a mournful piano, although it’s unclear whether this was served up from Axl Rose's weird hybrid motorcycle seat.

Elsewhere they mix the sunniest of melodies with lyrics that range from bittersweet to the merely bitter. The album title suggests a certain level of misanthropy and it does bubble through the cracks at times. Producer Matty Moon described the rather bleak Marigold Moon as ‘doom Weezer’, and Blasé invokes a sense of ageing and mortality, but elsewhere they keep it lighter if generally jaded and lovelorn. It’s a perfect album for troubled times and a full debut that has been well worth the wait.

Verdict: 4/5

For Fans Of: Weezer, Puppy, Jimmy Eat World

People Are The Worst is released on January 29 via Jerk Store.

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