They'll Never Forgive You For Pop is a pretty funny name for an album that's far
less pop than anybody would have ever expected. The Cheap Cassettes, who released a textbook rockin' power pop album in 2022's
Ever Since Ever Since, have gone in a somewhat different direction on their brilliant third LP, a Rum Bar Records/Cassettes On Record Records joint release. While
They'll Never Forgive You For Pop still fits the big tent definition of power pop I like to subscribe to, it doesn't tie itself to any single genre — unless "psychedelic garage-glam-alternative pop" counts as a single genre. The Cheap Cassettes have basically made their own (The Damned)
The Black Album, and I am all about that!
Much of the difference between this album and the last one for The Cheap Cassettes is the addition of Seattle music legend Scott Sutherland (Chemistry Set, The Model Rockets, Llama) to the band. Sutherland joins Charles Matthews on guitar and lead vocals, and he contributes five of the album's 11 songs. I'm having a hard time thinking of a precedent for a situation like this — where a great band that had existed for a decade-plus with one vocalist/songwriter brought in a second vocalist/songwriter and became even greater as a result! Not only is Sutherland a fantastic songwriter, but he also infuses an oddball 1980s/early '90s left of the dial flavor into The Cheap Cassettes' rootsy pop rock 'n' roll sound. As songwriters, Matthews and Sutherland have styles that are contrasting yet complementary. And that, my friends, is the secret sauce. Not surprisingly, the level of songwriting on They'll Never Forgive You For Pop is top tier.
I've been touting Charles Matthews as a great songwriter for more than a quarter century, and this is the best set of songs I've ever heard him bring to a record. On opening track "New Gun In Town" and lead single "Bad Xerox," he's still demonstrating that power pop is one of the purest forms of rock 'n' roll. Dude knows how to write a catchy tune with killer lyrics! In some far cooler alternate universe, these songs are all over the radio. If the rocker "Creeping Thyme" were any catchier, it would be the subject of conspiracy theories. And a la Paul Westerberg, Matthews turns out deeper cuts which are just as good if not better than the obvious hits. "Don't You Want To Know" brings to mind the later '60s heyday of psychedelic pop yet still sounds like vintage Charles Matthews. The melodious, heartfelt ballad "Hung The Moon" just might be the best song Matthews has ever written. "Fade To Nothin'" is a tearjerker love song which epitomizes pop music with soul.
Sutherland, in his Cheap Cassettes debut, delivers some remarkable material in his own right. "Everyone But You" is perfect guitar pop with a quirky touch. "If You Know, You Know" is haunting cosmic glam with hints of '60s psych-pop. "The Strangest Friends" is sure to be stuck in your head for the rest of the month if not the year. And then there's "Down to Mexico," which in my book is the centerpiece of the album. Sutherland wrote the song with his friend Jim Honeycutt when they 13 years old. It's unlike anything else on the album or anything else The Cheap Cassettes have ever done. Hearing it for the first time, you might find yourself asking out loud, "What band is this?" Yet it's a brilliant six-and-a-half-minute epic of a rock song — a genius mix of garage, punk, heavy rock, and indie skronk that succeeds on the strength of inspired vocal and musical performances. Every time I listen to the album, I get a little giddy when it's time for this track. It took balls to stick a song like this in the middle of the album, and these guys 100% pulled it off!
I have conflicting feelings about "power pop" as a musical label. I can use it as a general way to describe a lot of the music I like. But I would never use the term to limit what kinds of songs I would want a band to write. The Cheap Cassettes are still all about big hooks and big guitars, but I kind of love that they've gone out and made a record that could very well alienate a lot of the power pop purists and gatekeepers. Coming off a sophomore album which was essentially produced in pandemic isolation, these guys had to be stoked to get together in the studio and just have fun making a rock 'n' roll record. They'll Never Forgive You For Pop captures a confident band firing on all cylinders and basking in the thrill of trying new things. I remember Matthews telling me he thought this record might garner The Cheap Cassettes their first bad review from me. But perhaps the opposite is true: this is such a superb record that now I'm thinking their previous two pale in comparison! And it's not just the songwriting. The band sounds amazing, and Kurt Bloch's production is perfect. There are some obvious "hits" on this release, but it's the deep cuts that elevate it to something special. There's not a single track out of 11 that isn't essential to the album as a whole.
Damn it, guys! There I was coasting along for months, thinking my 2024 album of the year pick was going to be an easy decision. Now there will have to be much pondering and reflecting and sleeplessness between now and year's end. I will likely have to break out the charts & graphs and consult my life coach, astrologist, and shrink. The Cheap Cassettes have made a freakin' masterpiece. In the words of Malibu Lou: "Holy crap sticks, Chaz man!"
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