Cheekface

Cheekface is an alternative rock and indie rock group from Los Angeles, United States. The band consists of Greg Katz on guitar and vocals, Amanda Tannen on bass and vocals, and Mark Echo Edwards on drums. Tannen previously plays in stellastarr*.

Style and themes

The group’s songs are usually short, lyric-focused, and built around Katz’s talk-singing style. Their writing often uses dry humour and returns to themes of anxiety and sociopolitical unease. Their sound draws on talk-singing songwriters such as Jonathan Richman, Stephen Malkmus, and Lou Reed, as well as British indie rock groups including Wire and The Fall. Their genres include alternative rock, indie rock, post-punk, and power pop.

Releases

Cheekface releases music through Katz’s New Professor Music label, with album artwork by Tannen. The band’s first single is “Glendale”, released in 2018. Indie Shuffle describes the song as an art-pop gem. Katz and Tannen also write “Dry Heat/Nice Town”, which becomes the band’s breakout single and is based on their experience of attending the 2017 Women’s March.

After several further singles on Bandcamp in 2018, including “Sexy National Anthem” and “I Only Say I’m Sorry When I’m Wrong Now”, the band releases its first album, Therapy Island. Its second album, Emphatically No., appears in 2021, followed by the B-sides EP Emphatically Mo'. Emphatically No. is included in Paste’s list of the 40 best rock albums of 2021.

In 2022, Cheekface releases its third album, Too Much to Ask, and later that year follows it with the B-sides EP Don’t Ask. The band continues releasing singles in 2023, starting with “The Fringe”. Its fourth album, It’s Sorted, appears in 2024, followed later that year by the B-sides EP Sort Of. More singles follow in late 2024 and early 2025, before the release of the fifth album, Middle Spoon.

Identity and audience

The band describes itself as “America’s Local Band”, referring to obscure acts that are well known in their own scenes but do not reach wider audiences. Their fans call themselves Cheek Freaks, in a nod to Deadheads, the fan base of the Grateful Dead.