Cheap Girls "Giant Orange"

By Walker Kampf-Lassin

TOP TRACK: "Mercy Go Round"

BOTTOM TRACK: "If You Can't Swim"

2 Nancies

For the past several years, lush electronic production has saturated indie music with vocal sampling, programmed drums, and moody synths. That's why it's refreshing to hear the first track on Giant Orange, the band's third LP,burst with rigid screaming guitars and chug along like it's 1975. Unfortunately, the rest of the album is a stale rock revival. The guitar textures are redundant, and the vocals, though admirably unaltered, become tiresome and expressionless, with songs lasting far longer than necessary. Giant Orange is an earnest attempt to go against the grain, but Cheap Girls could've put up a much better fight.