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* LastNoteNightmare: "Don't Stop Believing" ends on a windy drone, only punctuating the depressing atmosphere and fatalist pessimism that
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* LastNoteNightmare: "Don't Stop Believing" ends on a windy drone, drone before stopping suddenly as if it should be looped, only punctuating the depressing atmosphere and tying into the fatalist pessimism that we're doomed to slave away in mediocre corporate agony until we die.
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** "Don't Stop Believing" seems to be titled after the same song by Music/{{Journey}}, and if anything, it's a SpiritualAntithesis -- whereas Journey's song is an uplifting ballad about working through the hardships of life, Cheekface's is a downer hymn of how we're all doomed to a life of mediocre nothing under corporate bootheels. It also shouts out a [[MemeticMutation meme]] associated with [[ComicBook/Batman the Joker]] (and even referenced in ''Film/Joker2019'' itself):
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** "Don't Stop Believing" seems to be titled after the same song by Music/{{Journey}}, and if anything, it's a SpiritualAntithesis -- whereas Journey's song is an uplifting ballad about working through the hardships of life, Cheekface's is a downer hymn of how we're all doomed to a life of mediocre nothing under corporate bootheels. It also shouts out a [[MemeticMutation meme]] associated with [[ComicBook/Batman [[ComicBook/{{Batman}} the Joker]] (and even referenced in ''Film/Joker2019'' itself):itself): [[invoked]]
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* CapitalismIsBad: Most of their songs poke fun at materialism, especially the idea of trading in your ideals for a cushy but boring job ("Life in a Bag"), selling out for mainstream acceptance ("Featured Singer"), and the rich, especially those who say they're on their left, being out of touch ("Dry Heat/Nice Town"), but it comes to a head in "Don't Stop Believing", which outright laments that the only thing that'll survive after we're long gone is capitalism's lasting effects.
* LastNoteNightmare: "Don't Stop Believing" ends on a windy drone, only punctuating the depressing atmosphere and fatalist pessimism that
* SarcasmMode: While most of their songs are semi-ironic snark, it come to a head in "Don't Stop Believing", which bitterly mocks their own upbeat attitude and songs and how here's another happy song complimenting the reader giving random advice. The song itself is ''anything but''.
-->''Here comes another sermon''
-->''Here comes another hill for you to climb''
-->''You're a special guy, you have lots of talents''
-->''You should wear a seatbelt, it could save your life''
-->''Here comes another sermon''
-->''Here comes another hill for you to climb''
-->''You're a special guy, you have lots of talents''
-->''You should wear a seatbelt, it could save your life''
** "Don't Stop Believing" mocks their own upbeat attitude and songs, introducing their song as "yet another sermon". It's ''not'' played for laughs, and is instead world-weary and bitter, acknowledging nothing anyone will ever do matter and capitalism will win in the end.
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** "I Feel So Weird!" shouts-out Music/DasRacist's "Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell" with "I'm in a Jamba Juice, I'm at the therapist, I'm at the combination Jamba Juice and therapists'...
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** "I Feel So Weird!" shouts-out Music/DasRacist's "Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell" with "I'm in a Jamba Juice, I'm at the therapist, I'm at the combination Jamba Juice and therapists'... It also shouts out Music/SuicidalTendencies' "Institutionalized", with a scratchy, raw "LOOK MOM, I'M TRYING" in the vein of that song trying to plead with their mother that they're ''fine'' when they're not.
** "Don't Stop Believing" seems to be titled after the same song by Music/{{Journey}}, and if anything, it's a SpiritualAntithesis -- whereas Journey's song is an uplifting ballad about working through the hardships of life, Cheekface's is a downer hymn of how we're all doomed to a life of mediocre nothing under corporate bootheels. It also shouts out a [[MemeticMutation meme]] associated with [[ComicBook/Batman the Joker]] (and even referenced in ''Film/Joker2019'' itself):
-->''...and who could blame me? I live in a society.''
-->''...and who could blame me? I live in a society.''
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* SpokenWordInMusic: Greg Katz's vocal style flips between traditional singing and a somewhat conversational form of "talk-singing", evocative of artists like Music/JonathanRichman, John [=McCrea=] of Music/{{CAKE}}, and James Murphy of Music/LCDSoundsystem. Greg himself compares his delivery style to that of someone [[MotorMouth who speaks way too quickly and clumsily]] due to anxiety.
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* SpokenWordInMusic: Greg Katz's vocal style flips between traditional singing and a somewhat conversational form of "talk-singing", evocative of artists like Music/JonathanRichman, John [=McCrea=] of Music/{{CAKE}}, and James Murphy of Music/LCDSoundsystem. Greg himself compares his delivery style to that of someone [[MotorMouth who speaks way too quickly and clumsily]] due to anxiety. It's mostly played for laughs, but it does seriously come up in "Don't Stop Believing", where Greg breaks the meter and rhyme twice to declare that "what lives on is the destruction / caused by market economics" and "being unique does not fit nearly into the grid of corporate needs".
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** Similarly, "Don't Stop Believing" stops in a way that implies it's meant to be looped, tying into its pessimistic theme that we'll all slave away in our boring lives ad nauseam until we die.
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* UnexpectedlyDarkEpisode: "Don't Stop Believing" is almost entirely devoid of their ironic jokeyness to lament modern life, the soul-crushing work capitalism bestows on everyone, the political divisions and lies common in modern-day politics, and how we're all going to die in the end, with the only thing surviving is capitalism's evil.
-->''They say 'don't stop believing', but it's [[DespairEventHorizon just too late for that.]]'' ''It's'' '''[[PunctuatedForEmphasis just. Too. Late. For that]].'''
-->''They say 'don't stop believing', but it's [[DespairEventHorizon just too late for that.]]'' ''It's'' '''[[PunctuatedForEmphasis just. Too. Late. For that]].'''
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** "When Life Hands You Lemons" features the line "I am always hungry, yet I don't have any cake / You are always on a plane [[Film/SnakesOnAPlane and the plane is full of snakes]]".
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** "Don't Get Hit by a Car" features a line about "Music/DrDre, not Creator/DrSeuss, no tenants and no trees, no snowmobiles and no skis", with the latter portion being a lyrical allusion to Dr. Dre's "Forgot About Dre".
** "When Life Hands You Lemons" features the line "I am always hungry, [[UsefulNotes/MarieAntoinette yet I don't have anycake cake]] / You are always on a plane [[Film/SnakesOnAPlane and the plane is full of snakes]]".
** "When Life Hands You Lemons" features the line "I am always hungry, [[UsefulNotes/MarieAntoinette yet I don't have any
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** "Don’t Get Hit by a Car" -- during the midst of a rambling passage against politically-charged know-it-alls -- Greg singles out "And of course I relate to Creator/LenaDunham, I relate to every annoying genius!"
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* CurseCutShort: "Don't Get Hit By a Car" features the lyric "I knew you were full of--", which is cut off by the sound of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIaFtAKnqBU a goat screaming]].
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** "Life in a Bag" sounds like it's evoking a cheesy 90's pop-rock-rap à la {{Music/Sublime}} or Music/SugarRay, but the lyrics flip-flop between being celebrating finding stability in your life against half-sarcastically despairing by all you've sacrificed in order to achieve it, [[SellOut including your personal and artistic integrity]].
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** "Life in a Bag" sounds like it's evoking a cheesy 90's pop-rock-rap à la {{Music/Sublime}} or Music/SugarRay, but the lyrics flip-flop between being celebrating finding stability in your life against half-sarcastically despairing by for all you've sacrificed in order to achieve it, [[SellOut including your personal and artistic integrity]].
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* RunningGag: For whatever reason, bread is a recurring mention among their more jokey one-liners. [[TrademarkFavoriteFood Bagels]] in specific have been mentioned in "Don't Get Hit by a Car", "Wedding Guests", and "You Always Want to Bomb the Middle East".
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* RunningGag: For whatever reason, bread is a recurring mention among their more jokey one-liners. [[TrademarkFavoriteFood Bagels]] in specific have been mentioned in "S.T.O.P. B.E.L.I.E.V.I.N.G.", "Don't Get Hit by a Car", "Wedding Guests", and "You Always Want to Bomb the Middle East".
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* SpellingSong:
** As you could guess from a song titled "S.T.O.P. B.E.L.I.E.V.I.N.G.", the phrase is spelled out repeatedly during the bridge.
** PlayedForLaughs in "The Fringe", which ''misspells'' it in the bridge: ''"F-R-I-N-G -- the Fringe!"''
** As you could guess from a song titled "S.T.O.P. B.E.L.I.E.V.I.N.G.", the phrase is spelled out repeatedly during the bridge.
** PlayedForLaughs in "The Fringe", which ''misspells'' it in the bridge: ''"F-R-I-N-G -- the Fringe!"''
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* RunningGag: For whatever reason, bread is a recurring mention among their more jokey one-liners. [[TrademarkFavoriteFood Bagels]] in specific have been mentioned in "Don't Get Hit by a Car", "Wedding Guests", and "You Always Want to Bomb the Middle East".
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* SurprisinglyGentleSong: "Don't Stop Believing" is among the band's softest and most subtle songs, on top of being one of the most unusually sincere, being about [[AWorldHalfFull the importance of not becoming jaded even in a jaded world]], and [[YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre encouraging the listener to continue having faith in themselves]].
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** ''Next to Me (Yo Guy Version): Between the whimsical lyrics and upbeat beat, it's a melancholic rumination on a HopelessSuitor missing an ex or unrequited crush, and has tried everything to get over it and [[UnrequitedLoveLastsForever can't]]. It's a tribute to a friend of Greg's who passed away, too. Also, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking they're pissing off their partner's neighbors by saying "yo" in a really deep voice.]]
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** ''Next "Next to Me (Yo Guy Version): Version)": Between the whimsical lyrics and upbeat beat, it's a melancholic rumination on a HopelessSuitor missing an ex or unrequited crush, and has tried everything to get over it and [[UnrequitedLoveLastsForever can't]]. It's a tribute to a friend of Greg's who passed away, too. Also, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking they're pissing off their partner's neighbors by saying "yo" in a really deep voice.]]
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** "Life in a Bag" sounds like it's evoking a cheesy 90's pop-rock-rap à la {{Music/Sublime}} or Music/SugarRay, but the lyrics flip-flop between being celebrating finding stability in your life against half-sarcastically despairing by all you've sacrificed in order to achieve it, [[SellOut including your personal and artistic integrity]].
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* StepfordSmiler: "Life in a Bag" surrounds the narrator having reached a state of relative peace within his life -- settling down, getting a stable job, and overall going square -- but still feeling discontent and not fully knowing why. It's greatly implied with other surrounding lyrics that he only reached this point by [[SellOut selling out]], and all he has to show for it is becoming a slave to the status quo.
-->''Life in a bag, living my life in a bag\\
Thank you for putting me in this bag!''
-->''Life in a bag, living my life in a bag\\
Thank you for putting me in this bag!''
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* BlackComedy: If we're going strictly by subject matter, Cheekface is quite a dark and cynical band that touches on heavy themes of existential angst, struggles with mental health, and crummy relationships. You likely wouldn't be able to guess that on your first listen because of how frequently they dance around the topics through silly and snarky one-liners, [[SeinfeldianConversation light and conversational delivery]], embrace of absurdity over how ''dumb'' some of the problems they face really are, further obfuscated by the actual music itself, [[LyricalDissonance which tends to be consistently energetic and danceable]].
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** "Pledge Drive" has Greg offering "If woke dudes must die, I'll go first..."
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** {{Deconstructed|Trope}} in "Pledge Drive" has Greg offering Drive", which surrounds the concept of saying the right thing out of fear of being accused of [[HolierThanThou hollow virtue signalling]]. It appears the narrator ''wants'' to be productive, but finds himself stuck in a loop of self-criticism and [[SoapBoxSadie putting down others]] as a form of expressing his politics, i.e. "If woke dudes must die, I'll go first...first / I don't know anything, you don't know anything."
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From the depths of Los Angeles, from between the intertwined bodies of Music/TheyMightBeGiants and Music/{{CAKE}}, out comes Cheekface, cheeky IndiePop[=/=][[AlternativeRock Alt-Rockers]] consisting of Greg Katz (vocals and guitar), Amanda Tannen (bass and vocals), and Mark Edwards (drums and percussion). Their signature style is defined by a talky, peppy mix of [[BlackComedy darkly humorous]] WordSaladLyrics, [[SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism an ambiguous mix of ennui and irreverence]], and topics ranging from dealing with heartbreak by being the guy who keeps saying "yo" outside your apartment door to TheFriendNobodyLikes trying to bomb the Middle East.
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From the depths of Los Angeles, from between the intertwined bodies of Music/TheyMightBeGiants and Music/{{CAKE}}, out comes Cheekface, cheeky IndiePop[=/=][[AlternativeRock Alt-Rockers]] consisting of Greg Katz (vocals and guitar), Amanda Tannen (bass and vocals), and Mark "Echo" Edwards (drums and percussion). Their signature style is defined by a talky, peppy mix of [[BlackComedy darkly humorous]] WordSaladLyrics, [[SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism an ambiguous mix of ennui and irreverence]], and topics ranging from dealing with heartbreak by being the guy who keeps saying "yo" outside your apartment door to TheFriendNobodyLikes trying to bomb the Middle East.
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** "(I Don't Want to Go to) Calabasas" in general depicts a haze of anxiety and unease of living in [=SoCal=], and mores specifically depicts early on "Spray-on chemtrails from Louis Vuitton / overzealous pat down from stupid [[UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump Uncle Don]]".
** "We Need A Bigger Dumpster" has the refrain of "Let's just assume for the sake of argument," a reference to [[VerbalTic the memetic catchphrase]] of conservative pundit Ben Shapiro, satirizing his tendency [[TheWarOnStraw to base all his political takes on hypothetical assumptions and strawmen]].
** "We Need A Bigger Dumpster" has the refrain of "Let's just assume for the sake of argument," a reference to [[VerbalTic the memetic catchphrase]] of conservative pundit Ben Shapiro, satirizing his tendency [[TheWarOnStraw to base all his political takes on hypothetical assumptions and strawmen]].
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* CoverVersion: The band has done a handful of covers as standalone singles: "Ana Ng" by Music/TheyMightBeGiants, "Lauren" by Rosie Tucker, "Ballad of Big Nothing" by Music/ElliottSmith, and "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding" by Music/ElvisCostello.
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* TheCameo: The music video for "Life in a Bag" features fellow indie rock artist Chris Farren as a health inspector who does his inspection of the venue while a silent disco is happening around him.
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* SuddenSoundtrackStop: "Next To Me (Yo Guy Version)" suddenly stops right before a refrain of the chorus, with the implication [[UnrequitedLoveLastsForever the song's meant to be looped to show that the protagonist isn't going to get over it, ever.]]
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* SuddenSoundtrackStop: SuddenSoundtrackStop:
** "Next To Me (Yo Guy Version)" suddenly stops right before a refrain of the chorus, with the implication [[UnrequitedLoveLastsForever the song's meant to be looped to show that the protagonist isn't going to get over it, ever.]]]]
** PlayedForLaughs in the "Life in a Bag" video, which features the band playing their song in a silent disco through everyone's headphones. At one point, the song briefly cuts out to the sounds of Greg playing his unplugged guitar amidst the ambient shuffling sounds of people dancing around him.
** "Next To Me (Yo Guy Version)" suddenly stops right before a refrain of the chorus, with the implication [[UnrequitedLoveLastsForever the song's meant to be looped to show that the protagonist isn't going to get over it, ever.
** PlayedForLaughs in the "Life in a Bag" video, which features the band playing their song in a silent disco through everyone's headphones. At one point, the song briefly cuts out to the sounds of Greg playing his unplugged guitar amidst the ambient shuffling sounds of people dancing around him.
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** "Pledge Drive" has a few: Among the one-liners are "Why don't police ever obey the law?" and "I'm standing in the Wendy’s drive-thru screaming ''''FUCK ALL THE TRANSPHOBES''''". The second verse is a slam against, of all things, an environmental and economically disastrous "supergrain" strongly implied to be quinoa.
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** "Pledge Drive" has a few: Among the one-liners are "Why don't police ever obey the law?" and "I'm standing in the Wendy’s drive-thru screaming ''''FUCK ALL THE TRANSPHOBES''''". The second verse is a slam against, of all things, an environmental "allegedly" environmentally and economically disastrous "supergrain" super-grain strongly implied to be quinoa.
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** "Pledge Drive" has two: "Why don't police ever obey the law?" and "I’m standing in the Wendy’s drive-thru screaming ''''FUCK ALL THE TRANSPHOBES''''".
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** "Pledge Drive" has two: a few: Among the one-liners are "Why don't police ever obey the law?" and "I’m "I'm standing in the Wendy’s drive-thru screaming ''''FUCK ALL THE TRANSPHOBES''''".TRANSPHOBES''''". The second verse is a slam against, of all things, an environmental and economically disastrous "supergrain" strongly implied to be quinoa.
