Since forming Two Cheers a few years ago in Los Angeles, frontman Bryan Akcasu hasn’t quite done things the traditional way — but we love the trajectory he chooses instead. Relocating to Detroit to launch a new iteration of the band and do the whole ~adulthood~ thing complete with getting married and buying a house, Bryan worked hard to get the band back on track with new content and a thoughtful creative process. On Two Cheers’ newest full-length record, Rollick, officially dropping tomorrow, indie-pop anthems are carefully developed by combining honest songwriting and intense instrumentation.
Rollick opens with “Over My Shoulder,” the album’s first single. An unconventional love song, the track bubbles with a spacey bass line before a multi-instrumental arrangement kicks in, giving a vibrancy to Bryan’s distinct, melting vocals. On “Woman…,” Two Cheers expertly blend varying elements — fuzzy reverb, slow-jam rhythms, entire seconds of sudden silence — to create an intriguing track led by bittersweet delivery. Later, “Love You To Death” creeps with a thick, pulsing arrangement as Bryan confesses with resignation, “I love you to death with all of my breath / And that’s the best I can do for someone like you.”
Rollick‘s second single, “No Good At Talking,” is a melancholic, melody-driven track. Here, Bryan’s vocals are at their best, aching with emotion, and the indie-rock instrumentation slows and explodes at the perfect times. The second to last track on the record is “Hinterland,” a beautifully layered ballad acting as a confessional of sorts for Bryan to work through his feelings after his mother’s tragic passing earlier this year. With swollen melodies and sparkling rhythms, the song is a heavy, lush standout. Rollick ends with “Rest Of My Life”, an aptly-named conclusion to a catchy record implying much more to come. The song drips with 80s influence, opening with synth swells and bright surf-pop beats, Bryan singing abstract, poetic lines like “beauty comes, naked like a tree,” with a grungey twang not unlike The Cure’s Robert Smith.
On Rollick, Bryan Akcasu bravely and thoughtfully channels his grief through the power of music. Collectively, Two Cheers have strength in creativity. Their production is meticulously crafted, their arrangements are colorful and innovative, the songwriting tackles tough subjects with grace, and overall, Rollick is rich with indie-pop gems that make you dance and leave you thinking — the best music combination we could ask for. - Buzz Artist’s Savannah Davanzo | Jul 13, 2017
credits
released July 14, 2017
Recorded, mixed, mastered by Bryan Akcasu
Additional engineering by Owen Bickford
Lyrics by Bryan Akcasu
Music by Two Cheers
Two Cheers is singer/songwriter Bryan Akcasu’s music project based in Los Angeles. Bryan writes, records, and mixes
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