Cheerleader

When Philadelphia's Cheerleader emerged with their full-length debut, 2015's The Sunshine of Your Youth, it was with a glistening dream pop sound and a sunny disposition. Following a hiatus, they re-emerged with a formula more rooted in reflective psychedelic pop and post-punk on the follow-up, 2020's Almost Forever. After relocating from their native Connecticut to Philadelphia, friends Joe Haller and Chris Duran began producing music together as a duo in 2012 under the name Cheerleader. After earning some accolades from NME and MTV for their early uploaded demos, they expanded the band to a five-piece, enlisting bassist Paul Impellizeri, keyboardist Josh Pannepacker, and drummer Carl Bahner. In 2013, the group signed with California-based independent label Bright Antenna Records for their debut EP, On Your Side. Their first full-length, The Sunshine of Your Youth, arrived in 2015. Following extensive touring that wrapped up in late 2016, the band went on hiatus citing mental and physical exhaustion. After several months off, Haller started writing songs again on his own, with no expectation of them being for Cheerleader. However, the darker, more reflective set of songs eventually took the form of Cheerleader's second album, Almost Forever. Recorded with producer Chris Coady (Beach House, Lower Dens) and the lineup of Haller, Impellizeri, Pannepacker, and drummer Sean Donaghy, it arrived on Bright Antenna in early 2020. ~ Timothy Monger & Marcy Donelson