Cherokee Death Cats mix garage, rock, and dirty pop with live and electronic beats. The Anglo / Swedish duo of Bea Persson and Rat Westlake is based in Gothenburg, Sweden, where the project grew out of a flurry of dynamic studio sessions and performances at underground clubs. CDC released their debut EP No No No in April 2019 and signed with US publishers and media company Position Music shortly after. A 2nd EP, Sick, and the single “Work it out” have also been hitting your airwaves since then.
To call this band punk revivalist would be doing an injustice to their nuanced, modern approach to the genre. However, the searing guitar tones and cartoonishly passionate vocal performance are reminiscent of the genre’s heyday. Cherokee Death Cats’ latest single, “Girl or Boy,” introduces the band as urgent songwriters who are stubbornly aware of modern times while maintaining a deep affinity for punk nostalgia. The new single is blissful, simplistic chaos that creates a whirlwind of modern post-punk that is easy to get lost in. Thankfully, something humanizing about the passion behind this performance is revealed. The way the strep-throat-style vocals navigate the warping guitars is akin to the average person holding in a burp of anger to save face, but when Cherokee Death Cats get a hold of this sentiment, they turn it into a post-punk anthem. “Girl or Boy” is a hectic yet moving single from a band promising a string of new releases in 2025, and it would be wise to hop on the band’s train before it reaches full speed.
