Cherokee Death Cats

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Ironically named after a fabled, unidentified, YouTube-sensation creature called “the Death Cat of Cherokee County”, the Cherokee Death Cats are as rambunctious as you’d expect. Like the ferocious feline they’re named after, the instrumentation is gritty and scratchy. The band utilizes vintage amps, drum machines, staccato rhythms, fat basslines, and leftfield effects to create a sonic world of headbanging bliss. The garage-rock duo consists of Bea Persson (Vocals) and Rat Westlake ... [ more ] Ironically named after a fabled, unidentified, YouTube-sensation creature called “the Death Cat of Cherokee County”, the Cherokee Death Cats are as rambunctious as you’d expect. Like the ferocious feline they’re named after, the instrumentation is gritty and scratchy. The band utilizes vintage amps, drum machines, staccato rhythms, fat basslines, and leftfield effects to create a sonic world of headbanging bliss.

The garage-rock duo consists of Bea Persson (Vocals) and Rat Westlake (Guitar/Production). Hailing from Gothenburg, Sweden, Cherokee Death Cats is full of healthy contrasts. It’s aggressive, yet groovy. Thrashing, yet melodic. Nonlinear, yet familiar. Taken in totality, the band’s debut EP No No No is punchy music that is simply fun.

The biggest contrast revolves around Persson’s self-proclaimed “girly” vocals. Persson’s voice sounds juvenile and innocent, but her lyrics are anything but. Inspired by the Riot Grrrl movement, Cherokee Death Cats is extremely punk and political.

On the lead single “No No No”, Bea sings: “I hear you and I don't believe it/I don't wanna go/Fuck your human hate propaganda, I don't wanna know/You won't lead me into your darkness, You won't have my soul/I won't be buying in to your hatred, I'm not running cold.” There’s urgency, contempt, and passion in her unique delivery.

“We want people to listen to our music and party and dance, but also think about what we’re saying,” Persson says. “I hope the music can be inspiring and encouraging, especially for young women to do music and speak out their mind. I love the contrast of sounding feminine but embracing power.”

In many ways, the music is experimental too. WIth unique song structures and builds, spontaneity and pureness is abound on a macro and micro level. This can likely be attributed to the duo’s creative methods. The two have worked together for a while and have developed a trusting process they self-dubbed “Commando Studio Sessions.” In these sessions, they quickly riff off each-other's ideas and create songs in a matter of hours—as opposed to agonizing over weeks and months—resulting in a raw and deliberate final product.

The duo has a special chemistry on-stage too. As you’d expect, their live shows in Scandinavia are aggressive and intense, making for the perfect music to dance to in an intimate, dark, underground punk rock club. The band is currently planning a full-length album and hopes to go on tour in the future.

“We just want to continue to create music and have fun. Life is too short to not have fun. And it’s fun to play live.” Persson says. [ less ]