Dustin Stashko listened to Giant Orange by Cheap girls, here's what he thought of the album:
If you travel back 10 years ago, everybody thought Good Charlotte, Sum 41, and New Found Glory fell into the pop-punk genre. This is where music geeks would quietly rage and say “That’s sooooo ‘Mall Punk’, now fetch me another PBR while I shine my Chuck Taylor shoes.”
Pop-punk is punk that has choruses that you can sing along to, and with lyrics that have value. Now don’t freak out about this, but Lagwagon, NoFx, The Bouncing Souls all have this. Now, out of the wood work comes a little band out of Michigan called Cheap Girls. Having a couple albums under their belt, they gained a bit of traction when Tom Gabel (of Against Me! fame) produced their latest album.
Giant Orange clocks in just under 30 mins, and doesn’t get old. This is a punk album that should be in the ‘90s — fuzzy guitars, singing that kind of mumble into each other, and layered vocals.
Lead single Ruby has just what everyone needs: a sing-along chorus that’ll make you tap (or pound) your steering wheel while listening in the car.
As with every great album, there’s got to be a slow-burner. Cored To Empty steals the show with two acoustic guitars and some lyrics that will probably make you cry. Not that I cried... (totally cried).
You’ll find yourself replaying Giant Orange over and over again until you know every single word, and every single guitar solo or drum fill. Buy this album if you like some good punk. Hell, just buy this album if you like music.
Stand Out Tracks:
Gone All Summer
Ruby
Cored To Empty
Mercy-Go-’Round