Derry’s answer to Bikini Kill– the hard grafting, hard rocking effervescent pop-punk trio Cherym, continue their ascent to stardom as they announce the news of their debut album Take It Or Leave It, set for release on 16th February 2024. With some seriously infectious songwriting credentials, Cherym lace influences from The Smashing Pumpkins, American Football, PUP and Pixies with their own fizzing brand of pop-punk… and, remember DON’T call them a girl band. The trio formed after meeting in college over a joint love of garage rock, pop punk and a desire to be the biggest band in the world. To celebrate the new album they have just shared the new single ‘Do It Another Day’ and revealed that they will be supporting Enter Shikari in March 2024 on his tour of Ireland as well as a headline tour of the UK this Autumn.
Starting out as a kick-back against the local music scene boys club back in 2018, the trio found mainland success in 2021 when they signed to Alcopop! Records for the release of their critically-acclaimed Hey Tori EP, showcasing their zingy, fearless new recipe for pop punk rock that centres the lived experiences of Gen Z queer women and non-binary people.
Speaking of the upcoming album the band said,
“This album is a project that we’ve been developing for the last 6 years of our lives. Whenever we started the band the end goal was to create music that we enjoyed, and if that meant other people could relate to it and enjoy it too, then all the better. As three queer people who didn’t really fit the criteria when it came to the DIY music scene at that time, we have watched as the scene has evolved and grown into something much more inclusive and beautiful that we can now confidently say we feel like we’re part of.”
“This album tells the story of how our lives have been transformed in the last 6 years—two EPs, lots of shows all over the world, and a few pronoun changes later…we made the record we needed to hear when we were growing up. Take It Or Leave It.”
Lead single ‘Do It Another Day’ is out now- another roaring pop-punk anthem that examines how an ADHD diagnosis reframed vocalist Hannah Richardson’s perception of events in her life, and ultimately her understanding of herself.
Commenting on the new single, Richardson says: “I was diagnosed with ADHD earlier this year and for the first time in my life I realised that I wasn’t just a complete idiot and I actually had an illness that explained why I am the way I am. I guess the diagnosis also prompted creativity and so ‘Do it Another Day’ was born. Whenever we recorded it in the studio we just knew straight away that we wanted it to be the anthem for all the ADHDers out there who, like me, struggle with productivity and finding that initial bit of motivation you need to clean your room, or do laundry, or sometimes even get a shower…because that’s the reality of living with ADHD. If this is you, we really hope this song allows you to feel heard ‘n’ we love u x”
The video was shot in vocalist Hannah ’s house, in her actual bedroom by director Joe Millar, because naturally, that’s where we all procrastinate the most, right? “I didn’t really have to do much, all I had to do was roll about the bed and play guitar,” laughs Richardson of the shoot, “which I would have probably done that day anyway! Also we want to add a MASSIVE thanks to the lovely Caoimhe Sweeney for the lyrics and animation—you guys have no excuse not to learn the words now. ‘Do It Another Day’ follows on from previously-released single ‘Taking Up Sports’ which dropped earlier this year to coincide with the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup and the official music video saw the band take on the Derry FC football team at The Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium, with a guest appearance from Tramp vocalist Sianna Lafferty as love interest.
Cherym have already made a huge splash on the live scene, touring with The Beths, cheerbleederz, Arxx, Nova Twins and more, with the band jetting out to the US for the first time at SXSW 2023 in Austin earlier this year. News of their upcoming album and tour follows a packed summer of festival appearances including TRUCK, Rebellion, High Tide, Badlands and (most importantly, in this writer’s opinion) Omagh Pride.
Debut album Take it Or Leave It is released 16th February 2024 via Alcopop! Records. They will support Enter Shikari in March 2024 and will headline their own tour in October. Dates below:
2023 Live Dates:
OCTOBER
13th – The Voodoo Rooms – Edinburgh
14th – Twisterella Festival – Middlesbrough
15th – The Sidney & Matilda – Sheffield
17th – 24 Kitchen Street – Liverpool
18th – The Craufurd Arms – Milton Keynes
19th – Rough Trade – Bristol
20th – Matchstick Piehouse – London
21st – The Prince Albert – Brighton
28th – Sandinos – Derry
NOVEMBER
18th – Oh Yeah Music Centre – Belfast
2024 Live Dates:
MARCH
21st – The Academy – Dublin – (Enter Shikari Support)
22nd – The Academy – Dublin – (Enter Shikari Support)
23rd – Limelight 1 – Belfast – (Enter Shikari Support)
Tickets on sale now: https://www.ents24.com/uk/tour-dates/cherym
