The Cheaters Club - Thanks For Asking EP
(self-released)
The Cheaters Club - A Week in the Life of the Cheaters Club EP
(self-released)
It's easy to whine, a whole helluva lot harder to take a good look in the ol' mirror... Eon Fontes-May doesn't come across as a fan of the simpler route. Darkly introspective, his Cheaters Club project is a heavy emotional experience that avoids the foot-stamping blame game sadly typical of such drunken, lovelorn mood pieces, going instead for a much deeper, self-aware soul spew.
Love/hate/drink/love/drink/love/hate/drink. His boy-girl-bottle fuck triangle is described in a weary, early-A.M. groan over homemade beats and carefully layered instrumentation, moody arrangements that would be damn pretty if not for the intense subject matter being confessed atop. The lyrics on both discs are painfully personal and darkly humorous, as Fontes-May owns up to an excessive thirst for boozin', beddin', and smashin' stuff up, while taking it beyond mere storytelling by jumping in and out of confessional mode to sharply self-examine and self-criticize.
"Thanks for Asking" and "A Week in the Life of..." are impressive evidence of the Cheaters Club's rapid growth from one record to the next. The music and structures have gone from a lo-fi blip-blip to a chilly lushness as they become increasingly complex and ambitious with each release since '03's debut single. These two most recent discs dramatically up the sonic density and sad psychedelicism while Fontes-May refines his lyrical approach with nasty little nuggets like, 'Tell me all about your big day at work/Maybe I'll even ask this time.' Unique and more cuttingly honest than most are willing to get, these songs make for a surprisingly beautiful bum trip; the beats and basslines are occasionally summery, but the mood is always deep-freeze wintertime.
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