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| Photo by Abby Clare |
Let's set the stage- what does the journey from Guilty Pleasure to Power Move look like?
We were working on Power Move since before Guilty Pleasure even dropped, the
first full band recordings of songs like "Quench" and "Octane" were done in 2021
and a few elements from those sessions did end up making it into the final
album. Aside from that, we tried to stay
consistent while working on such a big project behind the scenes so we dropped
two EPs, Fast Fashion and Faster Fashion.
We were not expecting them to get so much traction but thanks to that we
ended up being in a really good spot to drop a record after a stint of social
media success in early 2025. We kinda
expedited the record release for that reason and went in on finishing it.
Why was Power Move selected as the title for your latest release?
The original record was 18 tracks, and that's the version that is being
released as Power Move: Victory Lap.
Dropping a statement like that is a power move, in our opinion. Especially with the range we were trying to
showcase across all the songs.
"Pivot" is such an amazing way to start out this album. What is the story behind
it?
"Pivot" was the last song written for the album, it almost didn't make it in time
but it was so good I pushed for it to make the tracklist. It's a song about a relationship becoming
one-sided, where one party is trying hard to be communicative and make things
work and the other seemingly can't be bothered and is either fine with the
dysfunction or just looking for an exit.
Tell me about the features on this Power Move? Why did you choose these
artists as creative partners? What is the story?
For the most part they were just artists we crossed paths with playing live who
we ended up becoming friends with, it was all very organic. The only one we haven't met in person is
Brazil-based MC Taya, we came across each other via a Twitter account called
"crazy ass moments in nu metal history." We just had a mutual appreciation for each
other's work and we knew after hearing her style that we wanted to get her on a
heavy song.
Pitchfork gave Guilty Pleasure a rating of 6.9. What rating would you give
Pitchfork?
4.20
Objectively, what rating would you give Power Move on a scale of 1-10 and why?
10, it's by far our best work and we're making exactly the kind of music we
want to hear. And if you're not gonna
ride for yourself then nobody is.
What is Power Move: Victory Lap and what can people expect from this
DLC pack?
Power Move: Victory Lap is the actual album we wanted to drop. It's the director's cut. People can expect even more sides of Cheem
that weren't showcased on the initial release and smoother transitions between
songs because of the adherence to the original track order.
Not that you were lacking it on earlier albums, but you do sound more
confident and comfortable in your skin on this record. Can you tell me how
being in a band for as long as you all have contributed to your sense of
self as performers and to the kind of music you can make?
The longer you do it the less you care about what other people think and more
about how satisfied you feel with the end product that you're working on. The music becomes less about what you think
will do well and more about a sound you wish existed and want to bring into the
world. We also think more about what's
gonna be more fun to play live since our live show is such a huge part of what
we do. I think this album has a good mix
of experimental studio-oriented tracks and live bangers. We think it's important to do both because we
want to explore every corner of the Cheem sound.
I'm loving how deep and rich a lot of the tracks on Power Move are sounding,
can you tell me a little about the production choices that went into this
release?
There was definitely a conscious decision to make the quieter sections more
atmospheric. There's all kinds of
samples and noises buried in the mix here and there that just add a little to
the overall feel. We also included a
couple of interlude-esque outros on songs to help bridge the gap between
tracks. I would say the biggest
influences in that regard would be trip hop and vaporwave.
Would you still consider yourself Nu-Pop? What are the parameters of this
genre? Are there any other bands you would consider Nu-Pop, or Nu-Pop
adjacent?
Absolutely, we are a nu pop band. It's
the genre blending of nu metal but with a more melodic and pop-oriented
approach, essentially just incorporating elements of hip-hop, electronic,
R&B, Latin, and Caribbean music to the more traditional rock band format
with loud guitars and live drums.
If I had to name some nu pop adjacent bands I would say South Arcade, Cherie
Amour, Medekine, Scro, Symposia, and Pink Pool.
At this point in your career, where do you see yourselves as fitting into the
larger spectrum of DIY/Emo/Punk music?
It's tough to say because even though we are pretty DIY (recording, production,
mixing, graphic design, etc.) we're at a point where we can't really play house
shows anymore. For us to faithfully put
on a show for all the people that want to see us we need a venue that can
comfortably and safely accommodate a decent amount of people and a nice loud
sound system. That said, we try to keep
the DIY ethos in mind and we do keep up with what's happening in that scene to
some extent. I think people have finally
stopped classifying us as emo though.
Say some nice things about John and the rest of the Lonely Ghost crew.
Lonely Ghost is a great label to be on for a DIY band because they do their
best to let you just do your own thing and accommodate that into their release
schedule. They never said no to our
ideas, and they really believe in the future of innovative and unique
music. Great people operating a pretty
busy label purely for the love of the game.
Is ska due for a comeback?
If you mean in the mainstream then yeah, I'd like to see a modern pop take on
ska. If Olivia Rodrigo or Pinkpantheress
dropped a ska-infused song I think that would be sick and probably wouldn't
sound like any ska we've heard before. I
think reimagining the production choices while maintaining the core identity of
the genre is the only chance it has to get a big break again.
What's the best thing someone has ever written about your band, and
why did you like it so much?
Angel Marcloid (aka Fire-Toolz aka Mindspring Memories) mastered our new record
and she sent us an email telling us how much she liked the album and why and
all the things she said really rang true with what we set out to do with this
album. We really enjoy and respect her
work so it meant a lot to hear.
What is the ideal piece of coverage that a music publication (not saying Nu
Metal Agenda, but not not saying them either) could do for your band that
would help your career right now? Put another way, what is the
value/role of music journalism from your perspective in this day and age?
Truth be told I don't know how many people are reading music publications
nowadays. I think it would have to be a
pretty huge publication to move the needle in any meaningful way. For us music interviews are just about
getting a chance to express ourselves and our intentions in detail for the
passionate fans that care enough to dig deep.
How is your current tour going? What dates/cities are you most excited
about?
Our past couple tours have been incredible, more sold out shows than not which
is a good sign. Our last Brooklyn show
and the festival Burn Bright (Editor's note: I was there!)were two particular highlights.
What are the best albums from the late '90s/early '00s ('97-'04), and what
about them inspires you?
You picked a great era so I'll keep it to 5 records.
Transistor by 311, it's 21 tracks of the band at their most experimental and the production was mind-blowing to me the first time I listened to it.
Celebrity by NSYNC, it has really strong pop hooks and incorporates UK garage, breakbeat, and hip-hop production. There isn't even another song I can think of that sounds like "Do Your Thing" (the closing track) which is a pretty cool achievement for a boy band.
Sol-Fa by Asian Kung-Fu Generation, this is how pop punk should have evolved in the West but never did. This is an example of what you can do when you're inspired by a genre but not tethered by nostalgia. (Their 2008 album World World World is an even better example of this.)
Get Rich or Die Tryin' by 50 Cent, this was one of the first hip-hop records I fell in love with as a little kid. Track for track it's so good. I always love when a rapper has a great flow but also a sense of melody, like a lot of these songs don't have a featured singer on the chorus but they still have hooks you can sing along to.
Meteora by Linkin Park, I don't even need to get into this one. A lot of people probably prefer Hybrid Theory but as someone who has probably listened to both records a thousand times this is the one that comes out on top, if only by a little.
What is an influence on your group that has never come up
in an interview before, or that no one has been able to pinpoint
in a review of your music?
The Hives, I've listened to their first four albums so many times. I accidentally straight up stole a Hives
lyric in "Nano." (Editor's note: Good artists borrow, great artists steal!) And our song "Motorola
Razr" was originally a GarageBand file called "hives beat" because of
the drums and percussion in the chorus.
When are you starting an official fan club, and what can people expect as
far as exclusive merch and events from such an organization?
We kinda tried to do that with a program called CheemQuest but we've been
insanely busy and haven't been able to update it. We'll probably go back to doing that but also
maybe starting a more straightforward street team based out of our discord.
I've heard Cheem is a romantic sort of group and/or for lovers, describe to me
your perfect date.
Picking up good food to eat at home and watching a really good show or playing
a really good video game. If you want a
less introverted answer I would probably say a beach day but that's not really
on the table for the vast majority of the year where we're from.
What recommendations do you have for fans who want to take a date to a
Cheem show?
DM us on Instagram and tell us to pretend to know you so you can impress your
date.
What are your signature combos and/or finishing moves?
All of our combos involve complicated polyrhythms between buttons so no one has
actually ever executed one before. For
our finishing move we combine into a Voltron/Megazord like entity and
annihilate our foes with a beam sword called the Cheem sword.
What are your favorite game OSTs and how do they contribute to the
Cheem repertoire?
I think games like the first three Mario Bros, Wario Land 4, and Pokemon
Colosseum subconsciously influenced my melodic and rhythmic sensibilities
because I played them so much as a child.
A few highlights from soundtracks I got into later in life would be
Katamari Damacy, Danganronpa, Earthbound, and the Ape Escape games. Anytime I hear a cool production touch in a
video game song I always think about how I can incorporate it into Cheem. I think it also inspires me to utilize
unconventional instruments outside of the actual makeup of the band, stuff like
strings, woodwinds, extra percussion, etc.
What games are you playing now?
The only game I'm really playing right now is Doubutsu no Mori e+ (Japanese
exclusive Animal Crossing game) to help me work on learning Japanese. I did just finish the Xenoblade Chronicles
trilogy though.
If Cheem were an acronym, what would each letter stand for?
Cool Hard Extreme Exquisite Music
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| Photo by Abby Clare |
