Cheap Tissue – Cheap Tissue

Garage Punk on the Come Up

Garage rock isn’t easy to come by these days. With the evolution of genres, advancement of technology and time, not too many groups are making intentionally fuzzy music. Rocking the most intentional unclean production, Cheap Tissue is the exception. The Los Angeles garage-punk band signed to Lolipop Records sports a refreshing take on the genre with distorted guitars and gang vocals on their new self-titled record.

Cheap Tissue begins with “Feed The Children,” which starts as a standard garage punk song. The three vocalists in Cheap Tissue give it that extra spice which makes it unique. Not to mention the blistering guitar riffs and solos that take place in the middle of the track. It’s certainly an acceptable opener to understand what Cheap Tissue is about.

“Cheap Tissue” is similar to a Fidlar track, with fast-paced, quick chords and a tempo that lasts the whole record. “Bag & Number” really emphasizes the snarl in the vocals that is reminiscent of so many punk bands before Cheap Tissue, like the Sex Pistols. Once again the guitar work in this track is very impressive towards the latter half of the song. Cheap Tissue masters the 20-second guitar solo within this debut record, rambling through various scales.

“On the Corner” starts with a catchy bass line, but the hooks don’t stop there as this track continues with the pattern of guitar solos and even has one of the more memorable choruses on the album. “New Promotion” has almost a dancy vibe to it with the “woos” in the vocals. The contrast in vocals between the lead and the backgrounds deep, bassy vocals is a direction that Cheap Tissue should explore more in the future, as it adds more chemistry within the band and their tracks. It is probably the most differentiating portion of the album making the track very well rounded. 

While Cheap Tissue reaches Joyce Manor levels of short, sweet and to the point, it is an impressive debut that reintroduces casual music fans to a genre that may have slid under their radar. Although Cheap Tissue could use a little more variety within, it establishes who the band is at their core which is what self-titled records is all about anyways.