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Albums

Stupor

Cheena

2016

Stupor

Release Date:  2016

By Pitchfork

Reviewed July 7, 2016

Off the NYC punk supergroup’s upcoming debut LP

In one of the more egregiously on-the-nose scenes in HBO’s deservedly-canceled Vinyl, coked-out caricature Richie Finestra watches in awe as the New York Dolls literally bring the house down in a crumbling NYC punk venue. It was a fitting metaphor for a show that seemed to be deteriorating in real-time with every phony, ham-fisted name-drop. But in less than two minutes, Cheena’s “Stupor” does what HBO’s nostalgia piece so desperately aimed for: it makes rock’n’roll sound dangerous, fun, and life-affirming.

Between Logan Montana’s delirious, Keith Richards-y slide guitar and Walker Behl’s slurred, swaggering vocals, “Stupor” has 1973 gloriously and effortlessly plastered on its face, but Cheena is not just an oldies revival act. They're propelled by a scuzzy, euphoric energy—one that makes the Spend the Night With Cheena title of their upcoming Sacred Bones debut sound like an even more enticing offer. Appropriately, the song's video finds their members stumbling around the beach—dancing, drooling, crying, and shooting snot rockets. It's the true story of rock’n’roll, told by people who live it every day.

8:00 PM · Jul 7, 2016