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OPM Is Not Dead. Just Listen To Indie Rock Act Cheats
Let’s talk about their latest single
Fresh off a US tour with Sandwich, indie rock band Cheats has just released their new single, Talk. It follows Crumble, their first single off their sophomore record Before the Babies. And while they could still be considered young, we’re loving the range that the 8-piece band is bringing to the OPM scene.
A fusion of gifts.
A band of eight people is no joke, especially since we’re used to seeing just four or five people on stage (depending on whether or not the vocalist also plays an instrument). But Cheats is different in this sense, because the group sounds harmonious without being too over the top.
The group is made up of Jim Baccaro (keys, guitar, vocals), Saab Magalona (vocals), Candy Gamos (vocals), Manny Tanglao (bass), Ernest Aguila (guitar), Mau Torralba (guitar) and Enzo Hermosa (drums).
Local talent, international visibility.
Other than their recently concluded US tour, Cheats was part of the St. Jerome’s Laneway Festival in Singapore last year. The festival is often hailed as the go-to for Southeast Asia’s rising stars in music. Cheats was the first Filipino group to ever play on the Singapore-leg of the Australia-based indie music festival and they played on one of the twin main stages, too.
A fresh take on local rock.
OPM is not new to rock—far from it. And yet, Cheats has done a great job at introducing a new form. Their music, Talk in particular, is sexy and somewhat mellow. It can be appreciated by the average listener yet enjoyed by the rock-particular.
The potential for something bigger.
Cheats is still relatively new on the scene and the group has so much more potential to tap. There’s still a long way to go, but we have no doubt that they’ll get there. All we need to do is keep an ear out—and we gladly will.
Listen to Talk and the rest of Cheats’ music on Spotify with Globe.
