Started by former Remy Zero bandleader/guitarist Shelby Tate, Cheshires also includes former Remy Zero touring guitarist Leslie Van Trease and singer/songwriter Louis Schefano. The band still maintains some of Remy Zero’s atmospheric weirdness, but they’ve adapted their own alternative rock style in order to make things a little bit different. “You’ve Turned (To Gold)” is a song that really stands out; it’s full of buzz and allows this band to stick out a bit from the rest of the pack.
Louis Schefano’s “Wish Something Would Happen” has a bit of a dreamy vibe to it and is one of the album’s great standouts. He also takes the vocal slot and fills it very admirably, making the song very easy on the ears.
“I Failed” is a great track and one that’s very atmospheric; it also helps to make up for some of the lesser tracks here, like “Snakes,” which is a bit of a dud and doesn’t do much for the record. The dreamy swoon of “Hollow Head” really allows the song to come through and shine amidst a lot of darkness surrounding it.
There is a bit of backstory on the song “Watchtower.” When Remy Zero first formed, Louis was their drummer and the song was one they worked up in their early years and early demos. The song is now being heard for the first time. Right away, it blows you right out of your seat. This cut is the absolute highlight of the disc and is one of the cooler songs this writer has heard all year. Unfortunately, there aren’t a whole lot of other moments on the disc like it; otherwise, this would be an album everyone should own. Tracks like “Elixir” are a bit slower than they should be; perhaps if it was sped up a tad, it would be better than average.
Ultimately, if the record had more “Watchtower” and less “Snakes,” it would be a lot better than it is. Not to say it’s terrible, which it isn’t, it just isn’t as powerful overall as it could be.